Lost In You
by DeliciousAle
Summary: He was fourteen, she was twenty-one. They were to be married for the sake of their kingdoms. HopexLightning slight NoctisxLightning AU
1. Groom and Bride

There was little the small prince could do at the moment, he was as nervous as one could be in the day of their wedding, especially if you've never seen your bride before. There was a loud sound from the kitchen and a small clatter of something that appeared to be metallic, some loud yells and then silence.

The constant muttering of the guests and laughter could be heard in the great hall. The young prince sighed and closed his eyes; he sat cross-legged in one of the many traditional mats placed around and played with the hem of his highly adorned robes.

"Is something bothering you, your highness?" A deep voice called from the youth's right, startling the latter.

"Gabranth…" The prince sighed yet again. "Of course there's something bothering me…" He murmured and turned to look at his ever loyal knight. "I don't… I don't know if I'm ready for this, what if I end up disappointing my parents?"

The knight smiled and turned to face the younger fully. "King Rassler and Queen Ashe know what they're doing," He said with familiarity, after all, the young prince was like a little brother to him. "They know what's best for you, Prince Hope."

The small silveret swallowed thickly and looked at the door, where the sound of clattering armors caught his attention. There was his bride, fully clothed in white robes made of silk, her face covered with a thick veil, some golden feathers hanging from the delicate fabric.

Hope's breath caught in his throat as he quickly stood up, he walked towards the woman and his brows furrowed a bit when he was standing next to her, he was much shorter than her, four or five inches at least.

He bowed his head and took her hand, placing a small kiss in her knuckles. "Princess." Hope breathed out.

The woman let out a low laugh and withdrew her hand; she lifted her veil to reveal long strawberry colored hair and icy blue eyes; she looked at the prince and surveyed his figure. "My…" She said, a small smile appearing on her lips. "It's a pleasure, your highness."

Hope gazed at her for a few seconds and smiled as well however… he couldn't help but feel there was something not quite right with her smile, it seemed almost… forced. "There's no need for formalities, you may call me Hope," He said softly, as he led her to where he was previously seated. "We are to be wed, after all."

She smiled. "Then you might as well call me by my name."

The young prince looked at her in awe and nodded, he recalled the name his parents had mentioned just the night prior and sighed. "Lady Lightning then," He smiled and motioned for her to seat in one of the many cushions that lay atop his mat. "If you please."

The princess shook her head gracefully and took a seat. "Just Light will be fine," She told him and held his hand until he seated next to her.

"Lady Lightning Rhea Farron and Prince Hope Helios Estheim." Gabranth announced before the grand hall was filled with applause.

Hope sighed and then he felt a slightly bigger hand squeeze his own, he turned to look at the beautiful woman and smiled. "Are you nervous?" He asked a bit hesitant.

She smiled and shook her head, her jewelry making a small clinking noise. "No," Lightning told him softly. "I'm not."

Hope looked at her briefly before turning away with the faintest blush over his cheeks. After all, she was a very attractive woman. "I'm glad."

Lightning closed her eyes and scooted closer to the young prince, he visibly tensed and sat up straight. "Are you?" She murmured and pressed her arm to his.

He sucked up some air and kept looking forward, his hands were shaking and he refused to look at the older woman. "I-I…" He stuttered and bit his lip slightly, the blush spreading and darkening. "I am." He finally mustered to say.

She laughed softly under her breath and let go of his hand. "You need not be," the princess murmured and kept her eyes on the small prince. "We are to be wed, after all." She chuckled.

Hope blinked, had she just made fun of his words? He finally let out a small chuckle and nodded. "Indeed, we are." He said, feeling how the tension started to slip away from his body. He was about to speak when he was interrupted by his knight.

"The King and Queen have arrived, your highness," Gabranth spoke to the Prince. "We shall commence the ceremony at once."

Sometimes life took turns that you never expected, just a week ago he was talking to his cousin about wanting to marry because of love, and here he was, sitting next to a woman he had never met before, about to make bows that lasted a lifetime, sometimes even more.

He was fourteen, she was twenty-one. They were to be married for the sake of their kingdoms.


	2. The Garden

Since the prologue was so short, I felt guilty and decided to finish chapter 2 as soon as I could, so here it is (:  
And I know Lightning might seem a bit OOC but it's for the sake of the plot, there's a reason for everything!  
Now please do enjoy~

* * *

The ceremony had been majestic; the guests would speak of how the wedding was one to remember for a long time, they'd remember the grace and beauty of the hosts and how they seemed to be a perfect match for each other even though they had never met before.

The only thing that didn't fit in the picture was the bride's age, of course. But no one would ever dare insult the princess of the Kingdom of Cocoon, and now that she was their ruler as well, the fear only grew, so there would be silence among the people.

The prince escorted his new bride to their quarters, he held her arm delicately with his own, which proved to be quite uncomfortable due to their height difference, a small thought crossed the young silveret's mind as he stifled a chuckle.

"Is something the matter?" Lightning called from beside him, gripping the young prince's arm a bit tighter.

"It's nothing," Hope smiled and shook his head turning to look briefly at the princess. "It just seems as if you're the one escorting _me._" He chuckled and kept walking, not giving it much thought.

"Ah." Was the only response from the princess as she kept looking forward, the slightest frown covering her features. Hope took note of this but decided not to push the matters any further to avoid awkward moments.

They entered their new room and Hope sighed, looking at the bed, was he supposed to…? The nerves started to rise again and his body tensed, he frowned and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

Unknown to him the princess had been watching him since they entered; the slightest of smiles crossed her lips before disappearing completely. "I'll go change, Hope." She spoke and retired to the other room that was designed especially for storing their clothes.

Hope blinked and stared at the back of the princess before she disappeared behind the curtains that divided the room. He sighed and sat on the edge of the mattress, removing his boots and some of the many layers of his attire until he was only left with the plain white robes we wore underneath.

He lay down and stared at the ceiling, frowned and shook his head, he had to do it, for his parents, for his kingdom, _he had to._ The prince groaned and rubbed his eyes, curling into a ball and gripping his shirt tightly, he was so nervous he felt like crying. Was Lighting feeling the same way? He wondered for a brief moment. She certainly doesn't show it then; Hope thought to himself and sighed, opening his eyes to stare at the curtains where the princess was at the moment.

Perhaps he wasn't ready for such responsibility he knew he wasn't, but his parents were counting on him for the peace treaty to be done, after all he was their only son. They had never asked much from him and always gave him the best, so the logical thing to do was thank them for that, even if that mean marrying someone he didn't even know. He kept his eyes closed for a long time and started fall in a light slumber before a small pressure over his arm startled him awake, his eyes met icy blue and he remained quiet.

"You'll catch a cold if you sleep like that," He heard the princess murmur as she helped him in a sitting position. "Let's get under the covers." She said with a faint smile, only visible because of the faint flames the candles provided. She was now wearing a plain light blue robe that matched her eyes perfectly; her hair fell over her shoulders and touched her breasts delicately making her look much more beautiful than she already was.

Hope swallowed nodded numbly and kept staring at her. She was truly a beautiful woman, she couldn't possibly be interested in a child like him, he was young and inexperienced, she had probably seen so much more than him. His eyes widened suddenly as he remembered this was their first night as a married couple, he was supposed to…

A dark blush spread across his cheeks and to the tip of his ears, he thanked the Gods there wasn't much lighting in the room or she would have seen, he let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding and gripped Lighting's arm as he turned to look at her with a determined look on his face. She stared back at him with slightly wide eyes as her lips parted slightly.

"Are… you feeling alright?" She asked quietly pressing a cool hand over his forehead. "You're really hot." She murmured and kept her hand pressed over his skin.

Hope bit his lip and nodded, letting go of her arm and turning away embarrassedly. "I'm alright," He murmured and proceeded to get under the warm covers. "I'm just tired, it was a long day… let's sleep, shall we?" He murmured under his breath and rolled over so he wouldn't have to face her. "Good night."

"Of course," Was the faint reply before the prince felt another presence in the bed next to him, he sighed and curled up, still a bit tense, he closed his eyes and tried to relax, however this didn't last long, for he felt long arms being warped around him from behind. His eyes widened but he didn't turn around. "Good night." He heard her murmur into his hair.

The prince didn't get much sleep that night.

* * *

The next morning Hope awoke in a warm embrace he sighed and opened his eyes only to be met with the princess cleavage. He squeaked squeezed his eyes shut before shutting himself up, he didn't want to wake the princess from her slumber, he looked up and stared at her for a long moment, his breath caught in his throat as he admired her. Her pale skin and light hair really made her look like royalty; even in her sleep she looked stunningly beautiful, just like a princess.

He didn't even take notice of how long he had spent looking at the princess before she opened her eyes and locked gazed with him, Hope's eyes widened and a light blush appeared on his cheeks. "I-I didn't mean to…" He mumbled and looked away. "Sorry." He finally stuttered.

A small laugh left the princess lips. "You don't need to apologize for looking at me," She said softly and kept hugging the small prince close to her chest. "You are my husband after all," Lighting spoke softly and looked at the silveret in her arms before letting him go. "Should we get ready for the day?" She smiled and sat up, looking down at the other with a questioning look.

Hope nodded, the blush still very evident on his face. "Yes, lets." He finally mustered to say while standing up and pulling a small string that fell from the bedpost making a small chiming noise, not even a minute passed when several female servants entered the room and lined up, bowing and greeting the prince and princess, Lightning only stared in awe at the quantity of servants in the room and acknowledged their presence with a small good morning.

Hope smiled and lifted his hand to gesture at Lightning. "Please ladies, make her feel like she's at her own home," He said softly and nodded. "Take good care of her."

"Yes, your highness." Was the response the servants gave in unison, making them sound like a chorus.

Lightning was about to protest about something when she was dragged away by half of the servants to the bathroom. Hope smiled and let out a small chuckle as he watched her getting pulled into the bathroom with a confused look on her face. He smiled and left the room, heading to the bigger bathroom of the castle, followed by his servants.

* * *

Hope hummed to himself as he sat in a cushion set in one of his private gardens, he looked at the trees and then to the sky, it was really blue today, almost resembling the color of the princess' eyes. He thought about the woman and furrowed his brows. Was she happy with this? Or was it only a façade to make everyone happy? There were many questions that the silveret pondered about but somehow knew that the answer wouldn't be easy to get, nor was it favorable to his kingdom.

A small clinking noise caught his attention as he looked at the entrance, there stood the princess under the arc made of white roses and lavender, her attire was completely different than what he had first seen her with, now she wore the dresses most women wore in the kingdom, he sighed and gestured her to come over and sit by his side. "You can come in without needing my permission," He murmured and scooted over so she could sit next to him. "This is your garden now."

She nodded and sat next to him. "I'm still not used to your customs," She murmured and sat a bit awkwardly on the cushion. "Back in Cocoon we didn't sit on the floor."

Hope turned to look at her a bit alarmed. "Does it bother you? I can fix it." He said quickly before standing up, he was about to call a servant when a hand pulled his sleeve and stopped him.

"Hope, It's alright," She nodded and gestured for the young prince to sit again. "I want to learn how people live here in Pulse."

Hope looked at her for a brief moment and sat down again. "If that's what you wish, then I'll be glad to teach you," He smiled and sighed a bit. "But if something bothers you let me know and I'll fix it right away."

"The clothes are really different, too," She commented. "They have a lot of embroidery… but they're very beautiful." Lightning smiled slightly, fingering the swirling patterns of the pinkish fabric.

"At least I'm glad you like them…" He murmured a bit embarrassedly. "I… picked that dress for you as a gift."

Lightning looked at him for a brief moment and smiled. "Thank you," She said sweetly. "I really like it."

Hope remained quiet and enjoyed the falling petals of the many roses he had in the garden before a shuffling noise caught his attention, he turned to look at Lightning and saw her holding a stringed instrument that that appeared to be a violin, only it's shape was a bit more twisted, he raised a brow and kept his gaze fixed on the princess.

"Would you like to hear some music?" She said softly and placed the instrument over her shoulder. Hope nodded and looked at the woman intently, he breathed softly and kept his eyes over the woman, admiring her graceful movements as she began to play, the sound was so sweet and soft he had to close his eyes and relax against the trunk of the great willow that provided them shade.

The sound stopped and he opened his eyes to look at Lightning, she looked somehow saddened and he reached for her, placing his hand over hers and squeezing it lightly. "Light?" He murmured. "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head and refused to look at the prince. "I don't know… if I can keep up with this." Lightning murmured as she gripped the violin. "All this," She sighed and finally looked at the silveret. "It's all a lie."

Hope frowned and swallowed. "How is it a lie?" He murmured and looked downwards. "Is it because of my age? You think I can't be a proper ruler? A husband?" He huffed and let go of her hand. "Well it is done now, and there's no turning back."

"Hope," Lightning interrupted his speech. "I don't think any of what you just said," She frowned. "It's me," She murmured and looked at the prince intently. "I feel like I'm robbing you of something precious…" She sighed. "This is not the real me."

He refused to turn to face her, he sighed and crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her to continue.

"I…" She murmured. "Being the eldest of four sisters, the princess that was supposed to become the next ruler of Cocoon, I was forced to become what I am, at least in the public eye, but this gentle and feminine girl you see is not the real Lightning," She murmured. "This is not me."

Hope looked stunned, looking at the woman with wide eyes. "You mean… you don't mind that I'm…"

"Younger?" She finished. "Of course not, if anyone should be disappointed I understand if it were you," She smiled slightly. "I heard what people were saying in the party, that me being so old was a problem because… I wouldn't be able to bear many children." The last sentence a whisper, the smallest tinge of pink over her cheeks.

Hope blushed furiously and took Lightning's hand in his own. "Your age has never been a problem," He said with determination. "It has never mattered to me that you're older than me…" He murmured, now looking away from the other. "I just… wanted you to know that."

She let out a small sigh and looked at Hope, she furrowed her brows and looked away again. "What if you don't like the real me?" She kept frowning. "You'd be stuck with someone that you don't like for the rest of your life."

"What could possibly be so bad about you?" Hope chuckled softly and put his hand over Lightning's shoulder. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine so… will you show me who you really are?" He offered her a reassuring smile.

The princess looked at him for a long time before nodding; she really hoped he was right.

* * *

Well, Chapter 2 done :D


	3. Meltdown

I seriously couldn't sleep last night, thinking about the fic o_o  
Lightning is hard to write, at least for me haha because Hope just comes naturally to me, maybe because I'm used to writing characters like him, anyways.

* * *

Hope drummed his fingers on the table and kept staring at his parents, the Queen was chatting excitedly with her new daughter in law and he could help but think about what Lightning had told him only a few hours before. Not her real self? Did that mean that right now she was faking it all just to please? He let out a small sigh and averted his gaze from the women and decided to concentrate his attention on the small pond outside of the dining hall.

The prince had always been known for his love towards nature, everything that had to do with animals or plants he loved, the people of Pulse loved their rulers very dearly for they were famous for their kind hearts and warmth toward their subjects. Theirs was a peaceful land thanks to the King and Queen's efforts to maintain the good relations with the neighboring countries, especially Cocoon that was well known for their advancements in weaponry and such.

The silveret placed a delicate hand under his chin and closed his eyes deep in thought. If Lightning wasn't what everyone thought she was, then what? He couldn't really imagine her being any different… Not that he could of course, he barely knew the girl! And yet they were already married. Everyone had been expecting this from him since the day he was born, that he would marry the Princess of Cocoon and finally complete the peace treaty everyone had longed for.

"I think that's a wonderful idea!" Ashe said happily as he clapped her hands together. "Don't you think so, Hope?"

Hope blinked and turned to look at his mother, a confused look on his face. "I'm… sorry I wasn't listening." He murmured apologetically and bowed his head some.

The Queen smiled and shook her head. "You never pay attention at what we say," She giggled softly and looked at her husband. "What do you think Rassler?"

The King looked between Lightning and Hope with contemplative eyes and then to his wife. "I think it'd be a good opportunity for them to get to know each other better," He said. "He may go."

Hope raised a brow and turned to the princess. "Go where?"

"To Cocoon, so you may meet my family and my homeland," She nodded and turned to the Queen once more. "I'm very grateful, your highness." She smiled and placed her hand atop Hope's own.

The prince sucked a bit of air and sat straight, it still got to him when she touched him, even in the most innocent of ways.

"I told you just now to call me mother," Ashe smiled. "You are part of our family now; there is no need for formalities."

Lightning shook her head and bowed slightly. "That would be rude of me, I could never do that." She smiled apologetically.

"You have my permission," She let out a small laugh. "Rassler say something to her, she can't be so uptight all the time."

"She's right, Lightning," The King spoke. "You may call me father as well, you have our permission." He murmured and nodded towards her.

"I greatly appreciate it," Was her polite response and then turned to the young prince. "Hope, I think it's only right to ask you, if you want to come to Cocoon with me?"

Hope nodded and let out a tiny smile. "Of course I'd like to go with you." He blinked and frowned slightly, he could have sworn he heard a sigh leave the woman's lips but his attention was soon directed to his father.

"We shall arrange the preparations to leave tomorrow morning," He said to the older man and stood up. "I shall take my leave now, Light?"

The princess nodded and stood up, following her husband closely.

Ashe frowned a bit and turned to her husband once the younger couple left the room. "Do you really think this was a good idea darling?" She murmured worriedly, placing her hands atop her folded legs and playing with the hem of her skirt.

The King sighed and placed his own hand over the small woman's. "Let's hope that this is for the best." He murmured under his breath. In all honesty, the King had his doubts about the sudden marriage of his son, especially for the fact that the prince was so young.

"I'm worried about Lightning," Ashe commented with a tiny sigh. "She doesn't really seem comfortable being here at all, I can tell."

"Because you were like that at first, remember?" Rassler chuckled softly at the memory.

The Queen let out a small laugh and nodded. "Perhaps," She smiled worriedly. "Let's wish that they get along soon."

They prayed for the happiness of their son.

* * *

The warm afternoon was quiet, the silence only being disturbed by the chirping of the birds and the gentle breeze that carried the tree's leaves to the ground. Hope had been silent for a long time and so had been the princess, there really wasn't much to talk about and that bothered the young heir, however the silence between then wasn't an awkward one, somehow he found peace walking next to the older woman without the need to speak. It was a good feeling.

"I want you to meet my sisters," Lightning said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence. "I'm sure you'd get along with them real quick, they're really nice, one of them is almost your age…" She murmured and looked downwards.

Hope looked at her for a brief moment before stopping altogether and held her arm so she would as well. "Is something the matter?" He asked, concern could be heard in his words.

"Well…" She sighed. "It would make you wonder why they'd marry you off with an older woman don't you think? If my sister was closer to your age," Lightning said bitterly and fisted her dress, a light scowl appearing over her lips before gasping slightly and regaining her composure. "Forgive my lack of manners." She bowed her head slightly.

Hope blinked, had she just… "No it's alright," He waved a hand dismissively. "Well, it's only logical don't you think? If you're the one that's taking over the throne it's obvious you should be married to the neighboring country's Prince, right?" He sighed. "Unless you didn't want to be married to a child like me that is, it's perfectly understandable."

"Stop it," Lightning snapped. "I already told you your age doesn't mean a thing, didn't I?" She growled slightly.

"And I think I told you the same," Hope snapped back rising a brow at the princess. "So please stop saying those things," The silveret turned away and shrugged. "You're the one acting like a child, being stubborn like that."

"You little—" Lightning stepped towards the prince but stopped dead in her tracks when a small chuckle reached her ears, she frowned as her anger began rising. "What's so funny?!" She huffed angrily at the silveret.

Hope kept chuckling and turned to look at her. "Is this it?" He smiled and scratched the back of his neck. "What you were so afraid to show me?"

Lightning was speechless, her expression blank and then horrified, she stammered for a bit and shook her head. "Forgive my rudeness," She frowned and looked downwards. "It's not a lady's behavior."

"To be honest," Hope smiled. "I think I like it better when you don't hold back," He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "It feels more natural that way," The silveret looked at the princess and chuckled once more. "Don't worry too much about it." He said and started walking towards their room.

Lighting stared at his retreating form for a few seconds before glaring slightly at the floor "…Brat." She whispered and proceeded to follow the young prince in silence.

* * *

The rest of the day had been a blur, the prince had spent the entire afternoon giving orders to the servants in order to make preparations for their departure in the morning, making sure they had enough clothes for a long stay; he was sure that the princess would lighten up if she spent some more time with her sisters, she should be able to show her true colors with her family, right?. He really hoped he wasn't wrong, though.

Hope had been right, it _was_ a façade to make everyone happy and Lightning had said so as well, he sighed and sat on the edge of his bed, he placed his intertwined hands under his chin and rested his elbows over his knees; he closed his eyes and tried to think things through, he couldn't help but feel worried about the whole situation, what if it was like the princess said and they couldn't stand each other?

A small groan fell from his lips as he threw himself on the bed; he stared at the ceiling for the hundredth time before covering his eyes with his arm and letting out a heavy sigh.

"Are you tired?" Lightning called as she appeared through the curtains, now dressed in her night gown, she walked towards the bed and sat down on the opposite side, her back facing the prince.

Hope groaned and rolled over, now resting on his stomach; he folded his arms under his chin and stared at the woman's back. "Will you tell me about yourself?" He muttered a bit groggily.

Lightning froze for an instant and turned her head slightly to look at the silveret over her shoulder. "Would you really want to listen?" She let out a small laugh, mocking almost.

"That's why I asked," Hope huffed. "Tell me about your sisters." He smiled and tilted his head slightly to the side.

The woman looked at him for a few seconds and ran her fingers through her hair before lifting her legs over the mattress and turning towards Hope, sitting crossed-legged. Hope lifted a brow and stared at her unbelievingly, it was not like her to take that sort of position… or at least he thought.

"I have three younger sisters, like I told you earlier today," She murmured. "They're all good girls, a bit spoiled but I guess that's my own fault," She smiled softly to herself; she had always had a soft spot her sisters. "Serah is the next in line, she's three years younger than me, she's really cheerful and a happy person."

Hope watched her intently; he was amused at how Lightning was speaking so fondly of her sisters, but something seemed different about the way she spoke now. It seemed more relaxed, less formal and definitely much less… forced.

"Then there's Vanille, she's… a special case, she's cheerful to an extent you couldn't imagine, just wait until you meet her and you'll see what I'm talking about." Lightning chuckled to herself and shook her head.

"And finally the youngest one, her name is Yuna," She frowned slightly. "She is by far the most fragile one of my sisters since her body is really weak, even though her magical powers exceed all ours combined."

Hope hummed, it was true that those with royal blood possessed magical powers, his mother was a good example, her magic exceeded that of anyone in the court even the magicians that were meant to protect the city, but in his fourteen years of life he had never been in contact with any kind of magic, he sometimes doubted his ability to perform it, that of course, if he had any.

He frowned and looked at Lightning "I've never… practiced any kind of magic," He murmured embarrassedly as he buried his face between his arms. "I don't even know if I inherited that power."

Lightning blinked and looked downwards at the boy. "Would you like me to teach you?" She said, leaning slightly down to look at the boy. "When we go to Cocoon tomorrow, I can teach you."

Hope bit his lip and frowned. "I don't… know if that's a good idea," He chuckled softly and rolled on his back so he was staring at the ceiling once more. "I don't think I'd be able to do it anyways."

Lightning frowned. "Now who's the stubborn child?" She mocked raising a delicate brow.

Hope glared and directed a pout towards the princess. "Don't make fun of me," He grunted and turned away, lying on his side as his back faced Lightning. "…But thanks."

The woman huffed and shrugged, throwing herself on her side of the bed. "It was the least I could do, you have treated me well."

"So it wasn't because you wanted to do it, but because of your sense of duty?" Hope frowned and curled up some.

Lightning shrugged. "Who knows?" She murmured and pulled the covers over her thin body, holding them close to her chest.

"…Thanks." Hope smiled slightly, his back still facing the woman.

"What are you thanking me for now?" She replied after a few seconds of silence.

"For showing me a bit of your true self today." He replied simply with a small shrug.

"I did nothing of the sorts and besides…It's not like I was trying to," She muttered and rolled on her side to look at Hope's back; she hesitated for a second before moving slightly closer to the boy and stretching her arms towards him but then decided against it and stopped altogether. "Good night." Lightning murmured and rolled over again, her back facing the prince's.

Hope hummed quietly in reply and sighed softly, he then frowned and turned to look at Lightning who was facing the other way. "Light?" He whispered but there was no response, he waited for a bit and bit his lip. "Would you hold me tonight as well?" He said barely over a whisper even if he wasn't expecting an answer, he then rolled to the other side once more.

He curled up and held the covers tightly, the nights in Pulse were always cold, no matter what season it was. Hope sighed and finally managed to stay still, only then did a pair of arms warped themselves around the small silveret, he tensed at first and then relaxed into the warm embrace, a small smile appeared over his lips as he muttered a small 'thank you' under his breath.

The only response he got was a harsh. "Go to sleep."

Hope stifled a laugh and closed his eyes. Maybe he liked this Lightning better.

* * *

Well, next chapter we'll meet the sisters :D  
Bet you didn't see that third one coming eh? I tried to find someone who looked alike and matched the personality of the others  
Enjoy~


	4. The Knight

Ugh… School just started this week, I'm so… dead right now. I'm glad I finally finished this chapter.  
**Spoilers** for Lightning's real name? Even though it's not such a big deal, really, haha.  
Enjoy~

* * *

The prince was starting to regret agreeing with this trip as he gripped the leather reins tightly, the wind blew against his face and made a few stray silver bangs to go over his eyes, shielding his vision and thus making him much more nervous than he already was.

Lightning let out an exasperated sigh from behind the silveret and unwrapped her arms from their place around Hope's waist and grabbed the reins herself, shrugging the prince's hands away. "You've never been on a dragon before, have you?" She muttered, but really, it was more a statement than a question.

Hope remained silent, prince or not, he was still a child and was stubborn. "I never had the need to ride on one." He murmured, gripping the saddle that covered the dragon's back tightly, being as high in the sky as they were, Hope wasn't looking forward to slipping and falling a few hundred meters to the ground.

"Then why did you tell me that you knew how to ride them?" Lightning huffed as she slowly regained control of the winged beast after Hope couldn't control him. "You could have killed us."

The silveret grunted and squeezed his eyes shut, a pink blush creeping up his cheeks due the embarrassment; he had to admit he wanted to impress the princess, but it seemed that everything he did, she could do better. He sighed and slumped slightly, his back pressing against Lightning's chest before he tensed and sat up straight again to avoid their bodies from touching.

The princess rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder to look at the royal escort Hope had prepared for them. Did he really fear for their safety so much that he needed all those knights? …That or maybe he was just a scaredy cat. She chuckled softly to herself and shook her head, back in Cocoon it wasn't like this… She blinked and looked down at Hope, perhaps because he was the only prince of Pulse?

She took a deep breath and looked forward, the floating city that was Cocoon becoming bigger in the distance every minute; a faint smile appeared on her face as she thought of her sisters. "Did you feel lonely when you were little?" She blurted out without thinking.

Hope blinked and lowered his eyes; suddenly the saddle seemed incredibly interesting. "…Sometimes," He murmured with a sigh. "But I had my cousins… even if I didn't see them much, it made me happy." He smiled fondly at the memories of him and Larsa playing in one of his gardens.

Lightning hummed. "We'll be there soon," She said softly and wiping the reins, making the dragon speed up. "Just hold on tight, I don't want you falling down."

Hope complied.

* * *

Compared to Pulse, Cocoon was a rather small kingdom; however that did not mean it was less powerful. Hope looked at his surroundings… it was so different from his own home, it almost seemed as if the traditions of old were already forgotten to be replaced with different customs. This saddened the young prince.

However Lightning seemed relieved to be back in the palace she knew so well. Her stance was much more relaxed, she seemed like a whole different person that when they were back at his castle. Perhaps the pressure was too much on the woman and thus she behaved that way? It was still a wonder to the prince.

Hope sighed softly and followed her through the silver plated hallways, great blue and green stained windows adorned the sides. Lightning strode confidently as servants bowed down before them.

"Light—" Hope tried to talk but was soon cut off by a deeper voice.

"Lady Éclair!" A tall dark-haired male approached the princess and bowed down until one of his knees was on the floor. "You didn't tell us of your return, we would have sent an escort." He said, still kneeling, his head lowered out of respect.

Hope frowned slightly. Éclair?

"Noctis…." She sighed. "I've told you not to bow down like that, you're my knight not a servant," She sighed and pulled him to his feet by the arm, he was at least a head taller than her, Hope noted this and couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy. "Besides there was no need, my husband arranged the trip; we had a nice escort… And don't call me that, you know I don't like it."

"But princess it's your name, I cannot call you any other way out of respect," He spoke respectfully at her and then turned to look at the small silveret, his eyes widened slightly for a split-second and then returned to normal, he placed a hand over his chest and bowed his head. "Forgive my rudeness your highness; it was not my intention to appear disrespectful."

Hope lifted his hand and waved it dismissively. "Don't worry about it, and please don't bow there's no need for formalities." He smiled and nodded his head to the knight; the prince looked at him and bit his lips slightly. He felt so small standing next to the older man.

"Your highness?" Noctis inquired, his voice concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Oh… yes, yes I'm fine." Hope chuckled softly to himself as he snapped out of his thoughts. He wanted to be older… to be taller so he could stand next to the princess and look like that, so she could feel proud to be married to a real man and not a kid.

"Sister!" A petite girl exclaimed and threw herself at Lightning, knocking the air out of her and flinging her arm around her sister's neck, clinging to her like her life depended on it.

"Serah?" Lightning gasped softly and tried not to stumble to the ground due to the impact. "Don't do that!" She said trying to sound serious but that proved to be impossible, the joy from seeing her sister was far too great to conceal it and it only made her smile brightly.

Hope kept his eyes on the princess; he was at a loss of words, this Lightning was so different from the one he met on the day of their wedding, she actually looked… happy. He frowned slightly and averted his eyes, he wondered if someday she could smile like that for him, too.

"Did you bring your husband? Is he handsome?" Serah chirped excitedly, still clinging to her older sister.

Lightning cleared her throat and gently pushed her sister away, turning to look at Hope with a faint smile still on her lips, but this one looked a bit different he noted, somewhat awkward.

"Serah," She said softly, lifting her hand to place it atop Hope's shoulder. "This is Hope, my husband."

The younger princess stared, and kept staring for a couple of seconds before turning to look at her sister again then to Hope once more. "Ah..." She gasped softly and placed a hand over her lips. "I-I didn't expect…" She giggled softly and then shut herself up when Lightning eyes narrowed.

Hope cringed. He knew what she was thinking. "A pleasure to meet you, Princess," Hope said politely and made a small reverence out of respect, this wasn't his kingdom after all. "Lightning told me about you."

Serah looked at her sister one last time and then turned to look at Hope. "Did she really?" She giggled and offered the younger a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, please do call me Serah, you are my brother in law after all." She said, tilting her head to the side with a soft hum.

Hope smiled and then looked at the eldest princes. "Light, will you show me around?" He asked quietly, walking closer to her as he did.

Lightning was about to answer when a thin arm latched on to Hope's own and yanked him away. "Don't worry sis, I'll show him the palace!" Serah said and smiled brightly, pulling the prince away before he could protest.

The princess couldn't react before they were out of her sight; she sighed heavily and placed a hand over her eyes.

"Milady," Noctis spoke. "Wasn't the Prince of Pulse older…?" He questioned the woman before him.

She sighed again and turned to look at her loyal knight. "I found out two days before the wedding, there was nothing I could do then, everything had already been arranged," Lightning murmured and shrugged some. "But there's nothing I can do to change things now," She looked at the hallway were her sister dragged the prince through. "Besides… he's not so bad."

Noctis hummed and frowned slightly. "You deserve a real man, your highness." He said under his breath, not looking at her but at the floor instead.

"Don't be insolent, Noctis," She turned to look at him sharply. "He will be your king one day; you should respect him like you respect me." Lightning said, looking up at him piercingly.

Noctis looked taken aback by her response; he remained quiet for moment with a frown on his face. "Forgive me, I was out of place." He bowed.

Lightning looked at him for a moment and nodded. "No matter how close you are to me, you must remember who I am, and who he is as well." She murmured almost over a whisper and walked away, leaving the knight standing alone in the hallway.

"Éclair…" Her name passed softly through his lips, like a lover's whisper.

* * *

Hope found himself trapped and unable to escape, he wondered if there could be any other torment worse than a cheerful princess, one that seemed to be pretty spoiled, too. He couldn't do anything more than smile at Serah and compliment whatever she showed him. She was her sister in law after all, he needed to make a good impression.

"Say… Serah," He murmured and looked at the fair girl when she finally stopped talking about the flowers in the garden. "What is your sister like?"

Serah blinked and turned to look at him, she then smiled slightly. "Well… I guess it's normal for you two to not know each other… you met only two days ago," She giggled under her breath. "Light is… very kind," She hummed. "But she's very strict as well; she's a great warrior, very skilled at almost everything she does and a loving sister as well." She smiled.

Hope frowned. "That… doesn't sound like the Lightning I met."

She let out a tiny sad laugh. "That's because she tries to be someone she's not, for the sake of everyone," She sighed softly and ran her fingers through her hair, straightening some stray bangs. "For the sake of the kingdom, in front of everybody… she tries to act like the perfect princess, like the ones you read about in fairytales." She murmured with a low hum.

The prince bit his lip, he remembered Lightning had told him something like that before, but he didn't really think the real her could be all that different. However he could be wrong and he knew that it was most likely he actually was.

"And what about her name… I heard that knight call her Éclair." He asked looking a bit fidgety, it actually bothered him a bit the way the older male looked at her, it made him feel uncomfortable and insecure. There was something, but he couldn't quite tell what it was, that he didn't like about Noctis.

"Ah," Serah giggled again. "That's… her real name," She smiled. "She thought it was much too feminine for her and decided to change it, 'Éclair' actually means lightning in an ancient language of ours," She said with a small laugh. "Even though I like her real name a lot, Lightning really does suit her," The princess chuckled under her breath and covered her mouth with the back of her hand. "She forbids everyone to call her Éclair."

The silveret frowned. "Then why did he call her that?" He asked, looking more annoyed every time.

Serah looked at him for a bit and smiled knowingly. "They've been friends since they were little," She hummed. "Noctis and my sister are very close," The princess murmured and then turned to walk further into the garden. "Shall we continue our tour?" She smiled and kept walking.

He stood there for a few more minutes, too deep in thought to even hear the young princess talking to him. He frowned and looked at the grassy ground, he narrowed his eyes. He didn't like that knight, not one bit. He hated the way he looked at Lightning and how they seemed to be very close just like Serah had said. But what he hated the most was the fact that Noctis knew more about Lightning than he did. Hope closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.

And so, for the very first time in his life, the young prince knew how jealousy felt like.

* * *

And Noctis makes his entrance.


	5. Jealousy

This seriously took forever to write, last semester in high school is killing me and my friends now, haha. Not fun.

Thank you all for your kind reviews; they really do encourage me to keep on writing this fic. And someone requested a oneshot, let me tell you that one is in the works :D

Enjoy~

* * *

Lightning was worried for the young prince, he seemed to be avoiding her eyes since they arrived, he had been talking to Serah for almost the entire day and he didn't seem to keen on sitting next to her when she arrived with them to the dining hall, she frowned slightly and looked at Hope, he looked a bit strained, maybe a bit annoyed, but that probably was because he wasn't used to flying. Then again he _had _spent the entire day with her sister.

She sighed softly and couldn't help but feel that something wasn't quite right with the prince; she drummed her fingers on the table and eyed the fruit that adorned the center of the table. "Serah, did mom and dad say when they would be coming back?"

The younger princess stopped her chattering with the silveret and turned to her sister; she hummed and placed a slim finger over her rosy lips. "I don't know, but they'll probably be here in the next two days," She nodded and let a small smile grace her lips. "They were going to visit uncle Auron after all; they like to take their time with him you know."

Hope turned to look at her briefly, there was something in his eyes and she couldn't quite tell what it was, it bothered her. In the short period of time they had known each other, Hope had shown her that he liked attention; that he actually enjoyed talking to her and the fact that he actually listened to her made her happy. Now it was a mystery why the prince was trying to avoid her… if he really was.

Lightning kept her eyes over Hope's figure and bit her lip, the frown still present on her features. She'd have to ask him what was bothering him tonight or she wouldn't be able to sleep at all. A high pitched squeal snapped her out of her thoughts; she blinked and stood up, turning to the doorway and smiling. "Vanille." She said softly and extended her arms to her sister.

"Light!" The petite redhead giggled and threw herself to Lightning's welcoming arms. "It's so good to see you!" Vanille smiled and looked up at her taller sister. "I didn't know you were coming today."

"No one knew," Lightning said softly, unwrapping her arms from her sister's body. "It was an improvised trip."

"I see," Vanille smiled. "So… where's your husband?" She giggled under her breath and poked Lightning's side.

"Stop it," Lightning squirmed a bit, her sister had always known her weakness. "He's sitting there with Serah." She said and turned her head in Hope's direction and noticed the prince's eyes on her, blue met green and she suddenly felt like the air didn't quite make it to her lungs. She never really thought his eyes could be so… piercing.

The eldest princess bit her lip and lowered her head to Vanille's level. "Don't make any comments about his age." She whispered softly into her sister's ear.

Vanille nodded and walked towards the small prince. "Hello!" She smiled. "My name is Vanille, Light's sister."

Hope stood up and held her hand up, pressing his lips to her knuckles. "A pleasure to meet you, my name is Hope," He smiled and looked up at the taller girl. "Lightning told me a bit about you before we came here."

Vanille giggled. "I hope they were good things," She smiled and threw a glance at her sister. "Light?"

Serah let out a little laugh and stood up next to the pair. "Nothing she could say could make you sound… less bad." She joked and poked the redhead's arm slightly.

"I'm not that bad!" Lightning interjected with a small huff and a roll of her eyes. "I didn't say anything _too_ bad."

Hope looked at the eldest princess and smiled slightly as his eyes traveled over her features. Vanille took notice of this and smiled as well. "Knowing you, I don't know if I should trust you," She chuckled softly and patted the prince's shoulder. "So, what did she say?"

The silveret snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Vanille. "They were only good things, I assure you."

The redhead raised a brow and let out a hum. "I think you're only protecting her," She smiled and shrugged. "What a good husband." She said, sticking the tip of her tongue out.

Hope's eyes widened as a bright red blush spread over his cheeks at the princess' remark. He laughed nervously under his breath and scratched the back of his neck with a shaky hand.

Serah smiled and turned to look at her older sister, her lips parted a little when she noticed the slightest tinge of pink over Lightning's cheeks. She covered her mouth and giggled silently, she didn't know if it was Vanille's effect on Lightning and her anger was rising, or if she actually was embarrassed.

"Oh stop it, Vanille," Came a female's voice from the doorway, her blue robes were elegant but distinctive of a warrior. She had pitch-black hair with the ends dyed red, and her eyes were as dark as her bangs. "You're embarrassing the boy."

"Fang!" Vanille pouted. "You always ruin my fun." She pouted and stepped away from the prince.

She smirked and walked closer to Hope. "A pleasure to meet you, your highness," She bowed. "My name is Fang, Vanille's guardian."

Hope blinked slightly and forgot his manners for a second. "You mean… as in a female knight?" He asked wide eyed. He had never heard of such thing in his kingdom.

Fang smiled and placed a hand over her hip. "That's right your highness," She turned on her side to face Vanille and Hope noticed a big tattoo on her left arm, he didn't really know if he should feel safe or frightened. "Believe it or not, I'm one of the best warriors in this city." The woman said proudly and lifted a hand to pat Vanille's head softly, a gesture that most knights would be reluctant to do out of respect.

"Fang," Lightning spoke sternly. "Be more respectful to Hope," She sighed and walked close to him and placing her hand on his shoulder, making the prince tense and stand up straight. It still got to him. "He _is _a prince, and my husband."

Fang's eyebrows rose. "Well, well, you're back," She mocked and let put a crooked smile show. "Welcome home Princess."

Lightning's eyes narrowed at the slightly taller woman and crossed her arms over her chest. "Respect your Princess, Fang."

Hope looked between the women and a small shiver went down his spine, they looked close… in a weird kind of way.

Serah walked next to Hope and pulled him slightly away from the glaring females. "You know I told you Noctis was Light's friend since childhood?" She giggled softly, "Well her and Fang have been rivals since I can remember."

Hope bit his lip at the mention of the other male but turned to look at Lightning again, at least he didn't feel the need to get jealous over the women's relationship, his eyes softened and a smile graced his lips. Even with that frown on her face and the scary glare, the princess looked… happy and this made the silveret's chest swell a bit.

The petite girl smiled. "You like her, right?" Serah whispered for only the prince to hear.

Hope blushed furiously as his hand started shaking a bit, he stammered and before he could answer he felt a firm arm yank him away.

"What are you two talking about?" Lightning asked, one delicate brow raised high. "Look at him Serah, what did you say to him?"

Serah was about to answer but was silenced by Hope. "It was nothing important, really." He finally mustered to say, his voice a bit shaky.

Lightning eyed him suspiciously and then her sister. "Fine." She said and tuned to Vanille again.

Hope sighed in relief and threw Serah a glance; she smiled and gave him a knowing smile. "I know," She said quietly. "I can tell by the way you look at her."

The prince bit his lip and lowered his eyes, he turned to look at Lightning from the corner of his eye and felt his cheeks heating up. "She'll never… see me in that light." He whispered more to himself.

Serah hummed and looked at the silveret for a second before placing her hand on his shoulder and squeezing reassuringly. "Well you're one step ahead of any other man; you're already married after all."

Hope tensed and bit his lip as an image of the knight came into his mind; he frowned and looked at Serah. "I don't… know much about her, and it bothers me."

She smiled. "Well now's your chance to get to know each other, right?" She hummed softly and stepped back. "It might surprise you, Light's personality might be harsh sometimes but she's kind."

The male looked at Lightning and noticed her bickering about something with the dark-haired warrior, Vanille on the side obviously supporting Fang. He let out a small chuckle when he noticed Lightning's expression, her expression was so annoyed, he wondered if she'd actually show this side of her to him. He really wished she would.

"I really want to know that side of her." He said softly, his eyes still over the elder princess.

Serah smiled. "I'm sure you will."

* * *

Dinner had been filled with the constant bickering of the older women and hushed giggles from the younger princesses. Noctis had showed up too but it was like he wasn't even there, he had remained standing silently behind Lightning's chair, directly across from Hope, making the prince feel really nervous through the whole meal.

The youngest sister, Yuna, didn't accompany them, it seemed like she had caught a fever in the short time Lightning had been away, the latter didn't really seem too worried about it, she only mentioned it was normal for her to get sick but she always pulled through.

Hope did notice however that the knight's eyes were always one the princess, he had an unreadable expression over his features and the prince was annoyed by it, who knew what he was thinking about _his _wife, the mere presence of the other male made him uncomfortable.

When he let a tired yawn escape his lip, Lightning was the first to speak. "You must be tired from the trip," She murmured softly. "Do you want us to retire to our room?" the princess asked, locking eyes with Hope.

He bit his lip and nodded embarrassedly. "If it's not too much trouble," He yawned again. "I'm really tired."

"Well then," Lightning spoke as she stood up, Noctis pulling the chair for her. "We'll take our leave now," She turned to her sisters with a smile. "Good night." The princess said and motioned for Hope to walk next to her.

Hope smiled at the younger princesses and murmured a small good night, then proceeded to stand next to Lightning, holding his arm for her to take, she did and turned to leave, her arm latched to Hope's.

The prince could have sworn he saw the knight narrow his eyes at him for a brief moment but he decided to shrug it off for the best. Noctis started to follow them before Lightning raised her hand and he stopped dead in his tracks. "This will be fine; you need not accompany us, Noctis." She said with a firm tone.

Hope looked at the man and this time, that usually expressionless face showed eyes filled with hurt. "…Yes, your highness." He murmured and stood there as the couple made their way to their room.

"Something's been bothering you." Lightning spoke suddenly, tightening her hold on Hope's arm slightly.

He tensed and looked at the ground. "It's no—"

"Don't lie to me," Lightning said harshly. "You've been avoiding me since we arrived here and I demand to know why."

Hope then turned to look at her wide-eyed, had she just raised her voice? "I-I…" He stammered and bit his lip; he felt the grip on his arm loosen a bit as a sigh left the woman.

"I… didn't mean to yell at you." She said as they arrived to their room, she opened the door and proceeded to close it when they were inside.

"It's ok," Hope said under his breath and walked to the bed, plopping down and looking away.

"Tell me," Lightning insisted. "There's something bothering you."

Hope bit his lip and looked at the princess form the corner of his eye as a crimson blush covered his cheeks. "I…" He muttered. "I don't like… how your knight looks at you."

Lightning's eyes widened. "What?" She asked unbelievingly and walked to sit next to Hope. "Why would you—" And then it hit her. It was obvious why the silveret was bothered by the other male, she sighed and placed a hand over his shoulder.

"Listen, Hope," She said softly. "You are my husband," Lightning spoke softly, as if not to scare him. "We will… learn to be with each other, alright?"

Hope bit his lip and turned to look at her, a few tiny tears were gathering in the corner of his eyes. "I can't stand the thought… of him being closer to you than _me_!"

Lightning's eyes widened as she stared at the young prince unbelievingly. "You're jealous… because of that?"

Hope frowned and squeezed his eyes shut, turning away from the woman and rubbing the tears away with his sleeve. He suddenly felt a pair of warm, delicate hands cup his face.

The princess held Hope's face in place and stroked his cheek with her thumb, brushing a stray tear that managed to fall from his eyes.

"Hope," She whispered. "Look at me." Lightning said under her breath.

The silveret opened his eye and started directly into the princess' own, his eyes widened slightly when he saw a tiny smile over her lips, a true, genuine smile.

His heart stopped for a moment when he felt warm lips over his own, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips back, melting into Lightning's arms.

Their lips parted and he stared at her, a soft tinge if pink adorned his cheeks and the tears were long gone.

"Now," She said with the smile still present over her lips. "There's no man that's closer to me than you."

Hope smiled and warped his arms around the woman, his height making it impossible for him to hug her properly. She chuckled softly and placed a hand behind the prince's head, pushing him against her chest. Needless to say, his blush only deepened due to the close proximity of her body.

They slept embracing each other like that, and somehow they knew that things would definitely work out between them.

* * *

Didn't really have time to check for typos D:


	6. Promise

This chapter killed me for a number of reasons which I won't list, but I can tell you that school's been so hectic and stressing. But I can manage with a little help from my friends. ;D  
Oh by the way, if you're interested I posted a link to my **Facebook** in my profile, you can check it out and send a friend request or an inbox! I love making new friends and I'd love to hear from you!  
Enjoy~

* * *

_"Noct!" A smiling girl around eight years old yelled. "Noct!" She giggled and waved her hand above her head. "I'm done with my lessons!" She said happily as she ran to the other boy._

_"Éclair!" Noctis exclaimed a bit startled. "You know you shouldn't be running like that! What if you fall down?" He said worriedly, the young knight apprentice ran to her and stopped her, grabbing her lightly by the shoulders to make her stop. _

_She pouted and stuck her tongue out. "Don't give me that, you're only two years older than me." Lightning said as she crossed her arms over her chest and gave the other boy a smirk._

_"But it's still dangerous! And you're the princess!" He muttered and placed a hand over the girl's head. "What would I do if something happened to you?" Noctis said softly, running his fingers through the pinkish locks._

_The small princess blushed slightly and took Noctis' hand in her own. "Don't worry!" She smiled brightly. "You know I'll always stay by your side," Lightning giggled. "Remember I'm going to be your bride!"_

_Noctis smiled and held the princess' hand tightly. "It's a promise."_

Blue eyes stared at the ceiling, a slight frown on the delicate but manly features. Noctis hadn't been able to sleep the entire night; his heart was restless and broken. He let out a long heavy sigh and rolled on his side, his eyes wandered over the wall and then closed.

They had been friends since childhood, and they had made innocent promises that would be impossible to fulfill. But somewhere deep inside his heart, he had always wished that those promises would come true one day… but it was just too late now. He had seen her grow into a beautiful, strong woman, one that any man would desire for himself.

He had fallen in love without knowing, and when he finally realized it he was already her knight, one that had sworn to protect her and stand by her side no matter what. However he could never be the man closest to her, that spot was already taken by someone else and it made his heart clench when he thought of the young prince. He had her now, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He sighed once more and sat up in his bed, the first rays of dawn coming through his window. He glanced at the clock and finally stood up, walking to his dresser and placing his hand over a delicate silver frame, he lifted it up and smiled sadly at the small picture. It was an oil painting done when Lightning had turned sixteen; he was standing next to her, his hand placed on her shoulder gently. They were smiling.

He squeezed his eyes shut and placed the picture down, his heart throbbing painfully. He knew that one day this would happen; he knew that she'd never be his, so he had remained quiet and kept his feelings locked away in his heart, only to himself.

The only thing he could do now was pray for his beloved's happiness.

* * *

Hope groaned lightly and rolled on his side, stretching under the thin silk sheets. The nights in Cocoon were far warmer than he was used to back in Pulse. He murmured something under his breath and opened his eyes slightly, squinting when the light hit his pupils. He let out a long sigh and rubbed his eyes, curling up again.

"Like a little kitten." Lightning said softly, stepping out of her private bathroom.

Hope's eyes widened as he sat up quickly, keeping the sheets closed to his chest. "Good morning!" He stammered a bit and offered a small smile. He bit his lip and cast his eyes downwards, the prince remembered the feel or her lips over his own as a pink blush appeared on his cheeks, making its way up his neck and ears. "I…" His lips quivered slightly and blushed harder, that had been… his first kiss.

Weird as it may sound, the wedding ceremonies in Pulse didn't involve a kiss like most other countries, it was an old tradition that they had respected for centuries. His ancestors had said that kissing was an act that should be carried out in private and out of love, not for anyone else to see. It was intimate and special.

His breath hitched and he tried to calm down, but to no avail. It was most likely that the princess wasn't familiar with that tradition and that was probably the reason she had… done what she did. The prince couldn't even think about the word without shivering slightly, he fidgeted a bit and hugged his legs to his chest, still nervous and blushing.

Lightning raised a delicate brow and walked next to the bed; she sat next to the boy and tilted her head a bit. "Something wrong?" She said softly and patted his head, running her fingers through the silvery locks.

"I… ah…" He stuttered and hunched his shoulder. "I um…" Hope murmured to himself, an inner turmoil going on inside his head. What should he say? He was nervous as hell so it was kind of difficult to come up with a decent answer. He did want, however, to explain the situation, but somehow… he couldn't find the words.

She smiled a bit knowingly and lifted his chin with her index finger. "No need to be nervous, right?" Lightning smirked slightly and let out a soft chuckle before standing up again. "It's still early so I didn't see the need in waking you up."

"Ah," The prince hummed softly and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Thank you…" He let a tiny smile show and hung his legs off the bed, his toes barely reaching the floor. He frowned slightly.

Lightning chuckled. "You'll grow up eventually," She hummed and walked to her dresser. "Don't let it get to you."

Hope pouted slightly. "I wish I was taller than you…" He murmured with the slightest frown covering his features.

The princess remained silent for a moment and let out a small sigh. "…You will be one day." She said with the tiniest of smiles on her lips.

* * *

"Princess," Noctis bowed. "It's good to see you so early in the morning." He said politely, standing straight again with a small smile directed at the woman.

Hope noticed the gesture and tensed a bit, but then remembered the kiss they had shared the night prior and became nervous again. He then felt a sudden feeling of relief going through his mind. That knight had probably never kissed her before. He smiled to himself and let out a calmed sigh, relaxing again.

"Good morning, Noctis," She smiled as well. "I didn't expect to see you so early."

"Neither did I Princess, I would have thought you'd still be tired from the long trip." He murmured, turning to look at Hope.

The prince let out a small gasp and shook his head. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"I'm glad," Noctis murmured and remained quiet for a bit, he was about to speak when a quiet voice interrupted him.

"Sister," A petite girl said softly. "I'm glad you're home." She smiled and walked a bit shakily towards the older woman.

"Yuna!" Lightning's eyes widened and walked closer to her sister, holding her between her arms. "They told me you were sick, you shouldn't be walking around just like that!" She said worriedly, brushing some stray bangs from the brunet's eyes. "You need to get better."

Yuna giggled softly and leaned her head on Lightning's shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it, you know I always get better," She murmured and looked up at her sister. "It's so boring to be just in my room… Besides I really wanted to see you, and your husband." She smiled and looked at Hope over her sister's shoulder.

Hope perked up and walked closer, he took Yuna's hand when Lightning finally let go of her and kissed her knuckles. "It's a pleasure to meet you, princess."

Yuna sighed softly and bowed. "The pleasure it's all mine, Prince Hope."

He held her hand in his for a while longer; they looked at each other for a bit and smiled at the other before laughing softly, their hands finally falling apart.

Lightning looked at them and pursed her lips; she frowned slightly and stepped forward. "I think we should go have breakfast." She said and placed her hand over his shoulder. It was obvious; she should have known that he'd feel more at ease with someone that was closer in age to him. Yuna was only two years older than him, so he'd feel more identified with her.

Hope let out one last laugh and looked at his wife, the smile still present in his lips. "Of course."

Her breath caught in her throat, she looked away from him quickly and smiled at her sister. "We will be going, then," Lightning murmured. "Go and have your rest." She said softly before she started walking away, dragging Hope closely behind.

"I'll see you later, Yuna." Hope smiled at the youngest princess and waved slightly at her.

"Bye." Yuna smiled and waved back.

Noctis stared at the retreating pair; he looked at them with a sad expression and closed his eyes, the pain in his chest being far too great for him to handle. He had to endure it for her. The knight had never seen Lightning react like that for someone, and it was obvious that she liked the young prince, if only just a little… or maybe she hadn't noticed herself.

He let out a long breath; he felt a warm touch on his arm and opened his eyes, looking down to see a saddened princess.

"I know you love her," Yuna said softly. "I'm sorry it had to be like this."

Noctis looked at her for a few seconds before closing his eyes again. "I…" He murmured, but couldn't find the words to voice his feelings.

Yuna warped her arms around his waist and leaned her head over his chest. Noctis had always been there not only for Lightning, but for all of them. Yuna loved him like a brother.

The knight remained quiet and hugged the petite princess close, he squeezed his eyes shut. "I…" He shook slightly and breathed out heavily.

It took him everything he had not to let the tears roll down his cheeks.

* * *

Serah hummed softly and looked at Hope from across the table. She smirked slightly. "You look different," She started. "Did you and sis do something fun last night?"

Hope's eyes widened as he choked on his milk and covered his mouth with the back of his hand, his cheeks turning the brightest shade of red.

Vanille, who was sitting next to Serah, coughed softly. Fang stood behind her protected and chuckled loudly.

"Serah!" Lightning hissed and patted Hope's back, her cheeks slightly pink.

The younger princess giggled and lifted her hands in front of her in a defensive stance. "I was just asking!"

"Those are the things you don't ask people, especially over breakfast!"

"Ask what?" A manly voice came from the doorway.

Serah perked up and stood up quickly, turning around with the brightest smile and running towards the blond man. "Snow!" She giggled and threw her arms up, hugging the man tightly as he lifted her up from the ground, spinning with her in his arms.

Hope finally stopped coughing and looked over to the pair; he then looked at Lightning and saw her glaring at the blond.

"How's my most favorite and precious Princess?" He chuckled and placed her down.

"I missed you so much!" She whined and clutched his coat.

"I was only gone for three days," Snow laughed softly and patted her head lovingly. "But I missed you, too." He smiled.

"I've told you many times not to whirl Serah around like some sort of doll," Lightning growled at the man. You could tell she didn't really like him. "What if she gets hurt?"

Snow smiled and flung his arm over Serah's shoulders. "You know I'll protect her no matter what, I am her Knight after all." He grinned.

Lightning narrowed her eyes at him. "You're one lousy Knight then." She muttered.

"Hey!" Snow protested. "You know I can protect her!"

Lightning's brow rose. "You can't even beat _me_, Snow." She smirked.

He remained quiet for a bit. "…That was a long time ago." He muttered under his breath.

Hope looked at his wife with wide eyes. She beat that huge, bulky man by herself?! He gawked slightly and looked from Snow to Lightning a few times. He would have never expected that she was that skilled… That meant she was even stronger than him. The prince didn't know if it was a bad or good thing.

"And who's that?" Snow raised a brow and walked over to the silveret, smirking slightly. "Don't tell me this kid is your—oof!"

That was the sound of Lightning's elbow connecting with Snow's stomach.

Hope winced slightly and looked down, now he did feel insignificant.

"_Prince _Hope is my husband," Lightning finally said, looking down at the crouching man between hers and Hope's seat. "You ought to treat him with the respect he deserves."

"I'm sorry…" He said, gasping for air.

Serah couldn't help but roll her eyes, Snow really didn't know what not to say.

Fang smirked and looked at the married couple. "You two make quite a pair," She said with her exotic accent. "But I must say you do make a good match."

Hope blushed and Lightning rolled her eyes. "Could everyone _please_ shut up?" She murmured under her breath and pressed her palm to her eyes.

The prince bit his lip and stood up, holding his hand out to her. "Light, shall we take a walk?"

She blinked up at him and nodded; she took his hand and stood up with his help, he held her hand tightly and dragged her away. Everyone stared silently as they walked away. Hand in hand.

"I think you guys made them mad." Vanille said softly from her seat.

Snow whined softly and Fang snorted.

* * *

They held hands all the way to the garden, the place Hope enjoyed the most of the entire castle, aside from the privacy of their bedroom… he shivered slightly and bit his lip. He wondered if he'd have the courage to love her as his wife one day. He blushed and tightened his hold on the princess' hand.

Lightning blinked and looked down at Hope. "What's wrong?" She asked quietly.

"Ah!" Hope gasped softly and shook his head, laughing nervously and scratching the back of his neck. "It's nothing, really…" He chuckled under his breath and let go of Lightning's hand and walked to a nearby bench and sat down, glancing at the rose bush next to him.

She frowned slightly and walked over, taking a seat next to him and placing her hands over her lap. "Why are you always so nervous around me?" She murmured softly. "It's not like I hate you."

Hope bit his lip and looked at her from the corner of his eye, did she sound… hurt? He sighed. "It's just that… I don't know how I should behave," He murmured and clutched the fabric of his pants between his fingers. "I have no idea what to do when I'm alone with you…" She stammered a bit. "Especially when we're alone a-at… our room…" He blushed furiously and hunched his shoulders a bit.

Lightning looked at him unbelievingly and then laughed. _Laughed._ Not a chuckle, not a smirk or even a smile.

Hope looked at her, still blushing. "It's not funny!" He whined. "Do you know just how embarrassed and nervous I feel when we sleep in the same bed? Wondering if you're expecting something more?" He blurted out without thinking and covered his mouth his hands. His eyes widened in embarrassment as he looked away from her.

"It's just that…" She stilled her laughter and looked at him, placing her hand under his chin and made him look at her again. "I know you're not ready for that yet, and I don't mind at all." She smiled slightly.

Hope frowned. "You don't?" He breathed out, his bottom lip still trembling.

"Not at all," She said softly and let go of him. "In fact, I think we should get to know each other more before thinking in anything else, don't you think?" Lightning nodded reassuringly at the prince.

Hope let out a relieved sigh and a small chuckle made its way through his lips. "I was so worried… that you'd hate me for it." He admitted shyly.

She shook her head. "I don't think I could ever hate you, you've only been nice to me," Lightning said sincerely. "So? Should we start getting to know each other?"

Hope glanced at her and smiled; he took her hand and held it to his lips. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess," He said and kissed her knuckles. "My name is Hope."

She gave him a smile and nodded. "The pleasure is all mine."

* * *

Again typos everywhere I know.  
I felt horrible for doing that to Noctis, but it was necessary! D:  
Also, Snow is finally here!! Expect a fight scene in the next chapter; I'll try to make it as nice as I can, haha.  
Your **reviews** make me happy!


	7. Quarrel

I'M SO SORRY D:

Things have been hectic lately… My exams were over like a week ago but then something horrible happened, my friend's dad passed away, he was feeling really down and so did I.  
I tried to spend every moment I could with him so you can guess I really wasn't in the mood or had the time to write.

But here it is, thank you all for your kind reviews. I really love you all.

* * *

They spent the whole morning together, sitting in the garden; they talked for hours and slowly began opening their hearts to each other, even though it was a trivial conversation, the prince felt good about it. Hope was beginning to relax in company of the princess, he was starting to remember how it was to behave like someone his age should, without the need to try and please everyone around him. Lighting was showing more of herself as well, without her refined manners and fancy words.

Hope realized that he was enjoying the time he spent with the princess more and more every time. He knew that somehow things would work out perfectly between them even if it took them time to actually care for each other like husband and wife. But he had faith.

His parents had told him of the first time they met; he smiled slightly at the memory and chuckled softly to himself. His mother told him that for a while he had hated Rassler with a burning passion, since he was always so annoying and proud. He had told him that they had an arranged marriage as well and they couldn't stand each other at first.

But Ashe was to blame as well, she had always been stubborn in her younger days, so hers and Rassler's personalities used to clash all the time when they were still engaged. Most of their encounters ended up in quarrels and even a punch or two from Ashe. Rassler would always laugh at her for her rash behavior and this would only make her even angrier.

The prince of course couldn't believe it, they had always been so loving and perfect for each other, he couldn't remember even one day in his childhood when his parents fought. He smiled and shook his head, maybe his relationship with Lightning was much better than he had thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Lightning called from his side, a small smile on her lips. "You've been chuckling to yourself a lot."

Hope blinked and looked at her with a sheepish smile; he scratched the back of his head and shrugged. This was one of the things he was learned to like about the princess; she would notice everything about him, every smile, every frown or sigh; those little details that made a great difference.

"I was… thinking about my parents," He said softly and placed his hands over his lap. "My mother told me that her marriage was arranged, too," Hope chuckled softly and looked at Lightning. "She told me that they couldn't stand each other at the beginning."

Lightning smiled and nodded. "Well then, I guess we've had a lot of progress, right?"

Hope nodded and looked at her. "I think we get along much better than they did when they first met," He admitted with a shrug. He chuckled slightly and ran a hand through his hair. "Can I ask you something…?" Hope muttered under his breath.

She tilted her head to the side and looked at him for a moment. "Of course."

"Uhm… well," Hope fidgeted a bit. "Why does… Noctis call you Éclair?" He muttered, playing with the fabric of his pants.

The princess was silent for a bit and let out a small sigh. "Because it's my real name," She murmured a bit ashamed. "But I don't like it."

"I know, Serah told me about it yesterday," Hope frowned and looked downwards. "But if you don't like it, why do you let him do it? Not even your sisters call you that."

Lightning tensed a bit and straightened her dress. "Because no matter how many times I tell him not to call me that, he still does," She said under breath. "We were really close when we were children, he is… my best friend." The princess admitted quietly.

"…Why didn't you tell me about it yourself?" Hope hissed softly under his breath. "Your sister had to do it instead," He flinched slightly. "You wouldn't let me call you that, would you?" Hope murmured and stood up. He didn't even know why it bothered him so much. "After all we're just strangers, right?" He muttered and walked away from her, stopping next to a lilac tree, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the trunk. "That's why you don't talk to me; I don't really know anything about you."

She frowned and stood up as well, walking to the small male and stopping directly behind him, she placed a delicate but firm hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "Hope," She sighed. "We're not strangers anymore... I really like you, I do and I enjoy spending time with you."

"Maybe you do but…" He bit his lip and kept his gaze cast down. "It's not enough… just to _like_, right?" He sighed and decided to turn around to face the princess. "I wish that we could—" He tried to speak but decided against it, he knew that his feelings would betray him if he kept talking. Larsa had told him once that he was really shy but when he started talking no one could stop him. He knew this could be that case. "I really… wish that we could… be happy together."

Her eyes widened and felt like she couldn't breathe. Lightning frowned and bit her lip. "Hope listen, we have known each other for a really short time, you can't expect us to become close so fast, right?" She sighed. "I've known Noctis for at least fifteen years."

Hope flinched, that was even longer than his lifetime.

"But you have to know," She said softly and ran a hand though Hope's silvery locks. "That I love him only as a brother."

Hope looked at her and remained silent, he was still a child and thus stubborn. He refused to say anything and just nodded.

"Hope…" She sighed and then smiled. "Please… we need more time, and maybe one day we will… be really happy."

The prince looked downwards and refused to look at her, he knew she was right but he couldn't help but feel like he really wasn't part of her life.

"You told me yourself that your parents hated each other when they first met, right?" She urged, tightening her grip on his arm. "I don't hate you and I think you don't hate me either, that's a really good start, don't you think?"

Hope couldn't help but let out a small laugh, she was right again and it kinda made him feel silly for his outburst. He was really a child, wasn't he? He… wasn't fit to be the husband of a woman so mature like Lightning. He sighed and looked up at her, still frowning slightly.

"I'm sorry…" He murmured embarrassedly. "I said things I shouldn't have and—"

"Lady Éclair," Noctis cleared his throat as he approached them.

Hope frowned and looked away; he had to be interrupted by him of all people. He was the reason they had started this argument. Why? Why did it have to be him?

Lightning sighed and looked at her knight with a frown. "I've told you not to interrupt me when I'm having a conversation with someone, Noctis." She said harshly.

The knight flinched slightly at her voice and nodded. "I know Princess, but your parents have arrived."

The princess' eyes widened and she turned to look at Hope, she noticed his uneasiness and sighed, then turned to look at Noctis again. "Thank you, you may go now."

The knight bowed and turned around to leave. He sighed and walked faster. Only as a brother… huh?

"Hope," Lightning nudged the small prince. "Let's go meet my parents, alright?" She murmured and pulled his arm; she frowned when he just nodded silently and walked next to her.

This was harder than what she thought it would be. In reality she had imagined Hope would be a spoiled kid that would whine about everything and anything but… he barely complained about anything and when he did it was something serious, he was actually pretty stern about many things, marriage was one of them. She had never expected this when she saw him for the first time, but now as time went by she began to understand the prince a bit more every day.

Maybe he wasn't so different from her.

"Please don't be so quiet," She murmured "I enjoy when you talk to me." She had actually grown fond of him in such a short time and it scared her, it usually took her longer to be comfortable around new people, she had never planned this. Lightning had said to herself that she would marry him just because it was the best for her kingdom, for her people. Love was in no way part of her plans.

She frowned slightly and shook her head, it was too soon to call it love, maybe affection was more like it… for now.

* * *

Terra was a beautiful woman, graceful and kind, she was the kind of person you could talk to and feel at ease quickly. She in no way took advantage of her position as Queen of Cocoon or her ability to perform some of the most powerful magic of the kingdom. Many people would say she was an angel that fell from the sky, sent to give them a better life.

King Cecil was a brave, handsome man, loved by many and respected by most. He was a powerful paladin with a kind heart, willing to sacrifice anything for his loved ones. His power exceeded that of every man in the kingdom, surpassed only by those assigned to protect his most precious treasures, his daughters.

They both were kind, loving and powerful. The perfect couple.

However like everyone else, they had flaws, and their biggest weakness were their four treasures. They were anxious to know the young prince that married their first daughter.

Terra sighed softly and fidgeted around in her throne, fixing her red dress and brushing some light blonde bangs behind her ear sighing again.

Cecil chuckled softly and shook his head. "You're too nervous," He murmured softly and reached to take her hand in his, squeezing it tightly. "There's nothing to worry about, they'll be here soon, I sent Noctis for them."

"Right," She breathed softly. "I'm calm," She nodded, trying to convince herself. "I just can't wait to meet him; we've never seen Hope, only his parents."

The king smiled and ran his thumb over her knuckles. "If he's anything like his parents I'm sure he's a good man, albeit a bit young for our dear Éclair."

"Your highness," A woman in armor spoke firmly. "They've arrived."

Terra sighed again. "Thank you Celes, let them in."

The armored woman bowed her head and walked two steps backwards before turning around.

Cecil smiled and raised a brow. "The General's as stiff as ever."

"Let her be, Cecil, you know how she is." Terra couldn't help but let out a small giggle. Celes had always been really serious when she was doing her job, but the Queen knew better, Celes had been her friend and protector since childhood. She knew her better than anyone.

"Mother, father," Lightning walked in the room quickly with a smile. "It's been quite a while since we've seen each other."

"Your highness," Hope walked behind the princess, standing right next to her and bowing his head. "It's an honor to meet you." He spoke respectfully and turned to look at them.

"Oh my!" Terra blinked. He looked so… small next to her daughter. She let out a soft giggle and stood up, walking up to him and smiled. "My son," She spoke lovingly. "There's no need to be so polite now, we're family."

"She's right Hope," Cecil smiled from his seat and nodded. "You may call us mother and father, or any other way that you please."

Hope blushed slightly and nodded. "I'm sorry," He chuckled nervously, his cool act slowly melting away. "I'm just so used to speak respectfully to everyone, I don't know when it's right to be informal." He smiled sheepishly and looked downwards.

Lightning smiled warmly at him. This didn't go unnoticed by the King, he smiled smugly and relaxed in his seat. He made the right choice.

"You're… so cute." The queen smiled and patted the prince's head, causing the younger male to blush even darker.

"Terra you're embarrassing the boy," He chuckled and leaned his chin on his hand. "You can go if you want Éclair, we just wanted to see you for a bit and we need to rest, it was a long trip."

"Thank you," Lightning said softly and then frowned the slightest. "I've told you I don't like it when you call me that, dad."

Cecil chuckled. "I know."

The princess huffed and turned around. "Let's go, Hope."

"Y-Yes!" He slurred and bowed his head slightly at the King and Queen before turning around to walk next to his wife.

Terra turned to her husband and smiled. "He's really young; I hope they don't have many quarrels." She let a relieved sigh fall from her lips as she made her way back to her throne.

"I don't think you have to worry about that," He said matter-of-factly. "Maybe you didn't see it, but she smiled at him when he wasn't looking."

Terra turned to look wide eyed at him. "You mean…" Her face brightened up. "You always make the right choices, my dear." She laughed.

"Of course I do." Was his smug response.

* * *

"Light," Hope called softly from behind the princess.

She stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Yes?" They had arrived to the garden once more; she had walked here without thinking, maybe because she knew the prince liked it so much.

"I…" He sighed. "I'm sorry about earlier, I was out of line," Hope murmured a bit guiltily. "Forgive me."

Lightning sighed and dropped her shoulder some. "I'm sorry too," She murmured and walked to the bench they were sitting earlier. "I was a bit too harsh…" She sighed. "That's the way I am, aren't you regretting a bit you had to marry someone like me?" She muttered, looking to the grassy ground.

Hope's eyes widened. "Never!" He said a bit too quickly; he walked forward until he was standing in from of her. "I…" He struggled with his words, he didn't really know how to voice his feelings, especially since he wasn't sure of them himself. He had never felt this way for anyone before, it was confusing and painful, but at the same time it was a wonderful feeling.

He sighed and bit his lip before a determined look appeared on his features, he lifted a hand and placed it under the princess chin.

She looked at him with a questioning look before her eyes widened, she felt warm lips pressing against her own. Blunt and shy Hope was kissing her. She closed her eyes and returned the kissing, softly and lovingly.

Hope's hand pressed itself against her cheek as he ran his thumb over it slowly. He moved his lips against hers and felt a warm feeling running from the tip of his fingers all the way down to his toes. It was a pleasant tingling feeling.

He was the first to break the kiss; he looked at her and kept his hand pressed to her cheek. "I don't think I could ever regret marrying someone as wonderful as you." Hope said firmly, looking into her eyes.

Lightning's breath caught in her throat and she looked away, feeling embarrassed for the first time in a long time. "Don't say such things."

"It's true," He said smiling; he let his hand drop and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "It really is the truth."

She couldn't help but smile at that. The princess reached for the silveret's hand and intertwined their fingers. "Thank you then." She said softly and pulled him down so he would sit next to her.

Hope smiled and squeezed their joined hands. He took a deep breath and turned to look at her. "You know?" He murmured softly and lifted their hands to his face; he kissed her knuckles and smiled. "I think I'm falling for you."

Lightning remained quiet for a bit and let out a small sigh; she smiled and turned to look at him. "I think I am, too."


	8. For Love

I think this is the longest chapter I've written so far, and I have to say it was the one I enjoyed the most, I'm really happy with how this one turned out, please enjoy~

* * *

The trip had turned out to be much longer that he expected, two weeks passed and there was no date set for their return to Pulse. The prince was starting to grow more and more attached to Lightning, it was inevitable for this to happen; Hope blamed the princess and her charms, her beauty, her strength but overall… her personality was what had captivated him. She was unique in her own way, she was tough and strict, just like Serah told him, but she was still gentle and loving, she rarely showed it to many people though and he was grateful that he was one of the lucky chosen ones.

It would be more often that the princess would smile at him, hold his hand and even brush her fingers against his cheeks or to place a silver bang behind his ear. Vanille loved to tease him about that, saying that she rarely showed that kind of affection to them. Lightning was not known to be a friendly individual, at least not inside the palace with the people that knew her the best that is.

Hope was starting to wonder if she had really meant what she said about not being feminine or gentle at all. She did have her rough moments, but she was still definitely a lady, even that one time when she decided to beat Snow up for treating Serah like a ragdoll, she was graceful while beating the man up. The prince had been amazed at the great combat and magical skills the woman had, it was an amazing sight indeed… especially the crying blond knight at the end of their match and the constant whining of Serah at her sister for treating her guardian like that.

Of course Lightning only retorted with "It's his own fault, I told him not to do it." Hope had laughed the entire evening.

It kind of made him cringe a bit when he realized that she was much stronger than him, he felt somewhat hopeless and distraught, he'd never be able to protect her if the time came when she needed him. It was more likely that she'd be protecting him instead of the other way around.

He had come to admire the princess, Lightning was someone he could spend the rest of his life with and he liked that idea. The only thing that worried him now was if she thought the same way about him. He greatly doubted so, there was nothing special about him and he had only given her a hard time since they came with his constant whining about Noctis… it was not his fault he felt so insecure of himself after having one look at the dark-haired knight, he had everything the prince couldn't offer to the princess.

The boy frowned and let out a sigh. It was not fair for Lightning to be married to a brat prince like him, she was much too mature for that and it kind of hurt him that he accepted that himself, he wanted to change, to be better than the dark-haired knight.

For the first time in his life he wanted to be better for someone else than himself, he wanted to become a better man for a woman, a woman he had begun to love.

He still blushed when he thought about it; it was true, he was in love with the princess and there was nothing he could do about it, he felt it from the bottom of his heart and he knew his feelings were real, it was impossible to try to deny them anymore and it only made him hurt to imagine that Lightning probably didn't feel the same way about him.

It was somewhat frightening to even think about it, it made an unpleasant shiver travel down his spine. Hope had the feeling that she probably saw him as a little brother most of the time; she looked after him and was constantly worried about his well being, the only exceptions being the times they got a bit… 'intimate' wasn't really the word he was looking for, the most they had done was kiss and innocent displays of affection like holding hands.

He wished with all his heart that she could look at him like a man. Hope worried too much about the princess' feelings, but what got in his way the most were probably his own insecurities; just thinking about Noctis made his stomach toss and turn with an unpleasant feeling, the way he looked at Lightning was enough to make him boil with anger and jealousy.

Hope knew that the knight couldn't really get in his way, especially not after getting to know Lightning a little more, he knew that she would never betray him, not after making bows in front of the altar. He knew she was a good and faithful woman.

The prince was now lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling while Lightning readied herself for the day. He sighed softly and wondered if they'd bathe together one day… he shook his head slightly and quickly pushed that thought away, he blushed a soft shade of pink and grunted under his breath. It was more often now that he had these kinds of thoughts and it made him feel a bit… dirty.

He groaned softly and rolled on his side, pulling a soft pillow over his head, he groaned again but the sound became muffled through the fabric and feathers.

"Are you trying to smother yourself?" Lightning asked with a small chuckle. "I didn't know I made you want to end your life so badly."

Hope stood up quickly and looked at her with wide eyes, his blush darkening tenfold. "Of course not!" He pouted and rolled his eyes. "You know I'd… never want to leave your side."

Lightning smile and shook her head slightly, you say that because you don't know me enough yet."

"Well I want to know you better," He retorted and crossed his arms over his chest; he sat cross-legged on the bed and sighed. "I really want to know you better." He murmured and looked at her with a smile.

Lightning brushed her slightly wet hair and smiled. "I'm glad." She said softly, she was being sincere when she said that, she had grown really fond of the boy, she wouldn't want him to leave her side, not now.

"Light?" Hope hummed softly.

"What is it?" Lightning answered back while pinning some blue and green jewelry to her hair, holding it up in an elegant but simple style, she was still wearing her undergarments, revealing her delicate shoulders.

"I was wondering," He said while standing up and walking closed to his wife. "…If you'd want to teach me some magic?" Hope asked a bit embarrassedly.

Lightning blinked and looked over her shoulder to look at the small prince. "Of course I'd like to," She sighed slightly with the smallest smile on her lips. "You don't have to look so embarrassed, Hope; it's been two weeks already, we're not strangers anymore, right?"

He nodded with a small blush. "I know but, it's still a bit weird." Especially now that he knew his feelings were those of love.

"It'll stop being weird eventually, it has for me," She admitted quietly and placed her hand over his cheek. "I'm happy that it was you I had to marry," Lightning smiled. "I don't think anyone else could be as good as you."

Hope stared at her; he couldn't believe the words he was listening, he blinked and leaned into her touch without thinking, his hand raised and placed itself over her own, pressing it closer still to his skin. "It makes me really happy to hear that." He murmured while closing his eyes.

He stepped closer to her and warped his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly as he buried his nose in the princess neck, inhaling her sweet floral scent.

Lightning's lips parted as she tried to speak but the words wouldn't come out, she closed her eyes and decided to warp her arms around the prince's shoulders, pulling him closer and pressing her lips to his temple.

Hope's hands traveled up her back until they reached her shoulders, he kissed her neck softly and caressed the princess' bare arms; he breathed out softly and pressed another kiss just below her earlobe.

She let out a slightly shaky breath and arched her neck, granting the prince better access. It was embarrassing, feeling this kind of sensations with a boy much younger than her… but at the same time she couldn't help but enjoy it, but what she enjoyed the most was the fact that it was Hope who was doing it, it sent shivers down her spine knowing that it was him that was making her feel this way. It felt wrong, but at the same time if felt so right.

"Hope…" She murmured under her breath as she tried to push him away slightly, she felt like she was robbing him of his innocence, he was still too young for this.

"No," He muttered back and hugged her tightly. "Don't push me away," he demanded and held her close. "Please don't." He leaned out of their embrace slightly and looked at her with determined eyes.

She looked down at him and bit her lower lip slightly; she had to look away from him when she felt his eyes piercing her, looking straight at her very soul. "It's wrong."

"You're my wife!" He said harshly, but then sighed. "How can it be wrong to do this if we're married?" Hope insisted and frowned. He really wanted to be closer to her… he really wished they could behave like a married couple.

"I—" Lightning tried to speak but was soon stopped by a pair of lips against her own; she closed her eyes and kissed back. No matter how much she tried to deny it, she wanted to be closer to Hope, too.

Hope stood in his tiptoes, trying to keep his balance as he pulled her closer to his form, his hand traveled from her shoulder to her neck, then to her cheek. He parted their lips and stared at her. "When I said I wanted us to be closer I meant it in every way." He said with a dark blush covering his cheeks.

Lightning couldn't help but blush as well, hearing shy Hope say those things was not something she was used to, it wasn't really like him. But then again he was really serious when it came to marriage so maybe hearing him say it wasn't so weird after all.

"I want to as well!" She admitted with a sigh. "But it feels like I'm robbing you of your innocence…"

The prince frowned. "So you'd rather if someone else did it instead?" He asked bluntly.

She looked at him wide-eyed and her mouth moved in a silent protest, she frowned and tried to calm down. Just the fact of thinking of someone else with Hope made her insides churn. "No," She hissed. "No one else can touch you but me."

Hope was truly shocked when he heard her say those words; he hadn't expected that reaction at all. He buried his face in her chest and breathed in. "Then prove it to me," He whispered. "Let us be closer."

Lightning looked at him and pursed her lips, she really didn't know what to do, she couldn't possibly make Hope wait a couple of years until he was older, but she had to admit she wouldn't be able to wait either, it was already hard and it had only been two weeks since they met each other.

Her hand raised and tangled itself on the silvery locks; she brushed them slightly and leaned her chin over Hope's head. "I'll try, ok?"

Hope smiled. "You better."

* * *

Lightning decided that the best place to teach Hope was the garden, that way if anything bad happened the castle wouldn't catch on fire… in the worst case scenario of course, but just to be sure she decided ice magic was less dangerous for now.

The prince was having a hard time keeping up with Lightning, she was very skilled with magic and he had a feeling her was slowly starting to get to her nerves. He couldn't even cast a simple ice spell and Hope knew she was getting impatient.

However he was wrong, the princess was actually enjoying herself while trying to teach the young heir perform some magic, it made her go back to the days when she taught her sisters. She was having fun, something she hadn't done in a long time; it even made her smile looking at the prince's determined face.

"I can't!" Hope whined and threw his hands in the air. "How can you make it look so easy?!"

Lightning chuckled and lifted a hand in front of her, a small icicle formed in her palm. "Because it is," She chuckled. "You just need to concentrate."

"…I'm really bad at this," He sighed defeated. Back home he never managed to perform any kind of magic, the only thing he was really good at was swordplay and archery, and due to this his senses had honed with time, he could tell if someone was near, Hope was always very aware of his surroundings, letting him know if any kind of danger was close.

"Come on Hope! You can do it!" Serah called from her resting place under a willow nearby. Yuna and Vanille were there too chatting happily with each other, having their afternoon tea in the garden for a change, also to show their support to the prince. But let's be honest, Serah only wanted a reason to spy on the couple so she could tease them further.

The youngest had shown great improvement in her health, and she thanked Hope for that, she claimed that seeing her sister so happy had made her feel better in no time. She was thankful to Hope for making her Lightning smile again; it had been a long time since she saw her eldest sister so happy with someone other than them.

The younger princesses were accompanied by their ever loyal knights, Snow and Fang were sitting next to each other bickering about something. Hope had met Yuna's Guardian only a week ago by accident, since the princess didn't go out of her room much he hadn't had a chance until then. Lulu was a powerful sorceress and this perked the prince's attention, it was not every day that he met a Guardian with such strong magic, they were usually specialized in close combat rather that spells.

Noctis was there too, standing near the princesses, it made Hope uneasy when he looked their way, the knight's eyes would always be fixed on them, but whenever he looked at Lightning, Hope noticed the sadness in his eyes, it even made him feel… sorry for him. The prince knew how Noctis felt about Lightning, it was obvious just by looking at him.

Hope looked away from the knight; he sighed and looked at Lightning. "I'm sorry for being such a slow learner." He murmured.

The princess smiled and walked closer to him. "Hold out your hand." She instructed.

He obeyed and held his hand up; he bit her lip and sighed again.

"I'll help you," Lightning murmured and placed her hand under Hope's, her fingers brushed against his and it caused a small shiver to travel down his back.

Hope shook his head a tried to clear his thoughts. However this didn't go unnoticed by Lightning, she was much too sharp for that, a trait she had inherited from her father, Cecil had always been good with noticing those small details and so was her.

"Try to concentrate," She murmured and gripped his hand slightly. "Think of something really cold, cold enough to freeze."

The prince exhaled softly and closed his eyes. He tried to imagine winter in Pulse, white and freezing, blizzards strong enough to cover the castle with a layer of ice, making it look like a crystal. He breathed out and frowned slightly.

"You're almost there," Lightning murmured and gripped his hand tightly. "Hope!" She exclaimed with a happy tone. "Look."

Hope opened his eyes and stared at the small icicle that was floating above his palm, his eyes widened and he turned to look at the princess with a bright smile. "I did it!" He laughed, the small crystal melted, wetting his and Lightning's hands but he paid no attention to it.

"I knew you could," She smiled at him and brushed her hand through the silver hair. "You just had to try harder."

"Thanks," Hope smiled. "For teaching me."

"It was not—"

Hope's eyes widened as he pushed the princess away, he felt a sharp pain through his back as he clung to Lightning's arm; he wheezed and fell to his knees, Lightning with him.

"Hope!" She screamed and held him close, she hugged him and noticed a sharp cold object sticking out from Hope's back, an icicle as thick as her arm was piercing Hope's chest. "No… No!" Lightning said breathlessly, she felt hot tears gathering in her eyes as she held him closer.

"Princess!" Noctis screamed and ran towards them. "Guards!"

Snow and Fang stood up and jumped away from the princesses while Lulu made a magical barrier around them to protect them.

Vanille stood up and tried to approach Lightning and Hope when the barrier came around her, preventing her from walking any further.

"Don't leave!" Lulu instructed. "There's an intruder in the castle and by the looks of it, it's a sorcerer, it's too dangerous."

"But Hope's hurt!" Serah exclaimed and stood up as well.

Yuna frowned and wobbly stood up, reaching her hand out for Serah to take. "We can't help right now, it would only worsen the situation if we leave the barrier, we'd be in danger as well." She murmured softly, even though she was aching to go to the young prince's side.

The three knights formed a circle around the fallen prince, all of them alert in case the intruder decided to show himself again. The guards were already moving and the alarm resounded throughout the castle.

Hope's breathing was becoming heavy and labored; his body was limp against Lightning's arms, he opened his eyes when he felt something warm hit his cheek, he opened his eyes and looked at Lightning's face, the tears running down her cheeks.

He lifted his hand and caressed her cheek with a shaky hand. "D-don't… cry…" He managed to breath out. "Tears don't… fit you…" He said while rubbing a tear away with his thumb.

"Hope…" She murmured. "Why?! You should have let it hit me instead…" Lightning sobbed softly and leaned into his touch, his blood was dripping to her dress and onto the floor, a small crimson puddle forming already.

"How could I?" He murmured in a low voice. "I… love you… too much…" He smiled at her and closed his eyes, his hand slowly dropping to his chest limply. Lightning's eyes widened as she tried to shake him awake but to no avail.

A scream echoed through the castle.


	9. Tears

One more chapter for my beloved readers!  
I've gotten a lot of alerts and faves recently, thank you all so much! Especially to all of you who take the time to send me a review, I appreciate every last one of them, they make me really happy and encourage me to keep on writing!

* * *

King Cecil was usually a calm and collected man, however when the situation required it he went back to his old days in the military. Unlike what most people thought when they first met the man, he didn't have royal blood, he so happened to save Terra from an attack of a neighboring country when she was still a young princess. She immediately fell in love with him and their destiny was sealed.

He was distraught and enraged. How did this happen? It couldn't possibly be true. An attack directed to his eldest daughter? He couldn't think straight, the prince had been the one to take the hit in a courageous attempt to save Lightning and he succeeded, but now he…

The king frowned and looked at his council, it was chaos in the strategy room, everyone was panicking, the only one who seemed to be calm was General Celes, it was necessary for her to behave like that after all, it was part of her job.

"Have they caught the intruder?" He asked Celes in a quiet voice.

The armored woman shook her head negative. "They're still searching, he couldn't have gone far, we sealed every exit as soon as the alarm was activated… he must still be inside," She frowned. "Please do not leave my side, your highness."

Cecil nodded with the tiniest of smirks. "You should be protecting Terra instead," He mentioned. "But then again…" He chuckled. The queen was a strong woman.

"She's being protected by your daughters' knights; the princesses are with her as well."

He nodded. "Good." The king frowned; he was still worried about Lightning, when they took her to her room she was… He shook his head, it was better if he didn't think too much about it.

"…Have you sent the messenger to Pulse?" Cecil frowned.

Celes nodded. "The message has been sent to King Rassler," She bit her lip. "Do you think this will… create a conflict between Pulse and Cocoon?"

"No," The king said confidently. "Rassler is not that kind of person, neither is Queen Ashe," He murmured and placed a hand under his chin. "I'm more worried about who could have done this."

The General released a sigh and hunched her shoulders slightly. "We'll find the culprit soon."

"Where's Commander Leonhart?" Cecil asked the general with a stern look. "Shouldn't he be here already?"

Celes straightened up and placed a hand over hilt of her sword that rested in her hip. "He'll be here in any minute," She murmured with the slightest frown. "He was outside the palace when this happened; he went to visit… someone." Celes said quietly.

"Ah." The king sighed and closed his eyes. It was known that the commander had a lover, but no one had ever seen them together, not even once. He would often venture outside the castle grounds to meet up with his beloved in secret; it seemed that he liked to keep his personal issues as private as possible.

But Cecil knew better. He was king for a reason.

"I see," He rubbed his temple with his thumb and index finger. "How's my daughter?" He murmured worriedly.

The general's expression darkened visibly. "She hasn't come out from her room since we took her there," She bit her lip. "We have guards outside her room and Noctis is inside with her, he was the only one she allowed to enter."

Celes was worried as well, Noctis had been her apprentice for many years and if she knew him well enough, she was sure he was feeling guilty for not protecting the princess as he should have. But it was not his fault; she knew that much, no one noticed the intruder until it was too late, if someone was at fault it was her. It was her duty to protect the castle and keep it safe. She had failed.

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and looked up at the King's worried face. "It's not your fault, Celes," Cecil reassured her. "It could have happened to anyone, in any place." He told her and let his hand fall.

The woman sighed and nodded. "Thank you, your highness."

Cecil smiled at her and pressed a palm to his eyes. "I'm too worried about Éclair," He admitted. "I don't remember the last time I saw her so upset."

"Would you like me to check on them?" Celes asked, a bit more relaxed now.

The king shook his head. "It's better to let them be for now," He sighed. "Besides, we need you here."

Cecil sat on his throne, the ministers still bickering and in panic. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to calm down. How he hoped his daughter was alright.

* * *

Noctis had been the one to take Hope away from Lightning's arms; it took a lot of effort from the knight since the woman was so upset, but the princess didn't let anyone else but him come close to her after the incident. He had been the one to take Hope in his arms and carried him all the way to the princess' room; he had walked as fast as he could with the bleeding boy in his arms.

When they arrived the medics tried their best to remove the icicle that was piercing the silveret's chest without causing any more damage to the prince. It had proven to be a difficult task with the boy being unconscious without showing any signs of waking up anytime soon and the crying princess next to him.

Lightning refused to leave his side; even when the projectile was being removed the prince did not move, he did not flinch or cry out in pain, his eyes were still closed and his breathing was heavy and labored, his heartbeat was weak, but he was still alive. The princess was distraught as she looked at the prince from her chair next to the bed.

Hope was pale, the color had completely drained from his face and his lips had turned a light shade of blue. Lightning placed her hand over his and squeezed it slightly… He was cold. She bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly; they still stung from the salty tears. She looked at him for a long time before she lowered her head to the mattress and held Hope's hand close to her face; she placed a small kiss on the prince's cold fingertips and sighed.

Noctis looked at her worriedly; he had never seen the princess act this way, not even when Yuna caught a terrible disease years ago. He swallowed thickly and looked away, he really… couldn't stand thinking that she…

"Do you love him?" He asked quietly.

Lightning straightened up and looked over her shoulder, her eyes still red.

The knight noticed a tear falling from her eyes before she turned away from him to look at the sleeping prince once more.

"I… haven't told him yet," She murmured under her breath, her voice shaking. "It's my fault he's like this." She sobbed slightly.

Noctis eyes narrowed, not because the princess loved someone else, but because someone out there was responsible for his beloved's suffering. The knight wanted to make things right, but he knew that right now there was nothing much he could do. He remained silent and walked closer to the woman.

"He will be fine," Noctis murmured and placed a hand over her slightly shaking shoulder. "He'll recover and wake up soon." He sighed softly. If Lightning loved him only like a brother didn't matter to him… There still was a reason for him to live; he lived for her. He would protect her no matter what.

Lightning was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry." She breathed out and squeezed Hope's hand.

Noctis smiled sadly. He knew she wasn't apologizing to the prince.

He said nothing.

* * *

"Your highness," A tall brunet man spoke, his face was scarred, he was well built and wore unusual attire, he was covered in leather and furs, several crimson belts with silver embroidery on them adorned his hips, at his left side his sword could be seen. He bowed his head and turned to look at the king.

"Squall," The king spoke. "Any news?"

The brunet nodded and remained as stoic as ever. "We found the intruder." He said with a stern face. "Bring him." He commanded, and as soon as his voice resounded through the hall the guards started moving, dragging a slightly slumped silhouette with them.

Cecil perked up and looked at the commander, then at the one who had almost taken the prince's life. His eyes widened at the sight before him, he knew this man.

The guards made him kneel forcefully in front of the king, the left side of his face was covered in blood and a painful looking injury adorned his right arm, some parts of his robes were torn apart and his long lilac hair was a messy tangle.

"Kuja?" He asked slightly horrified, he stood up and walked closer to him. He frowned and noticed that the sorcerer lowered his head even further. The king pursed his lips, something was not right.

"Look at the king when he speaks to you." Squall spoke and grabbed a fistful of lavender hair, pulling his head up until he was looking at Cecil.

The king's eyes widened when he noticed the tears in the man's eyes. Something was definitely not right.

"Forgive me your highness…" Kuja managed to breathe out.

"What happened, Kuja?" Cecil murmured softly while he glanced at Squall, motioning for the commander to let go of the prisoner's hair. "I've known you long enough to know that you wouldn't do something like this without a good reason."

Kuja remained silent for a moment, he was about to speak but then decided against it.

Cecil noticed this and frowned, worry slowly washing his anger away. The king kneeled next to the captive and placed his hand over Kuja's shoulder. "Tell me, and you may be forgiven for this crime."

The man let out a heavy breath. "She… made me do it!" He sobbed softly and lowered his head once more. "She has Zidane!" Kuja sighed heavily and slumped even closer to the ground, it took a bit of effort from the guards to keep him sitting up.

The king frowned and turned to look at Squall. "Take him to the dungeon… but make him comfortable and clean his wounds." He said as he stood up.

The commander nodded and closed his eyes. "You are much too kind, your highness." Squall murmured with a bow and turned to leave, the guards following him closely with Kuja walking between them.

Cecil sighed and sat on his throne.

The general walked close to him and bowed her head close to his. "You are too kind, Cecil." She murmured in a low voice. She might not show it most of the time, especially in the public eye, but Celes was a good friend to both the king and queen.

He sighed. "It's my biggest weakness."

"Second biggest one." Celes chuckled softly.

"Yes, that's true." He smiled a bit sadly when he remembered the distraught condition of his oldest daughter.

"What are you going to do?" She asked him, the serious tone in her voice returning once more. "Wasn't that boy—"

"Ultimecia's apprentice." Cecil frowned and supported his elbow on his throne's arm; he leaned his chin on his hand and sighed.

He knew this was bound to happen.

* * *

Noctis sat in the far end of the princess' room. He stared at the floor quietly, deep in thought. In reality he couldn't stand look at Lightning right now, this weakened state disturbed him greatly. She had never cried for someone, not like this.

His eyes traveled up and locked on the woman's back. She was still holding the prince's hand in her own. Noctis could make out a faint whisper; it seemed like a prayer to Hyne.

The knight crossed his arms over his chest and let his back slump slightly in the back of the small couch he was resting on. He was tired, much too tired… he let his eyes slip shut for a moment and sighed.

The princess threw a glance over her shoulder at her knight and saw him resting peacefully, Noctis had always put his duty before his own well being; she smiled sadly and turned to Hope again.

Lightning murmured a few words in an ancient language and kept her eyes fixed on Hope's sleeping face. She pursed her lips and sighed, a single tear fall atop the boy's hand and it bothered her, it wasn't like her to show this kind of weakness. She couldn't believe just how much she had become attached to Hope… and the only thing she could do now was pray. The princess closed her eyes and squeezed the prince's hand tightly.

A small shuffling noise caught her attention as her eyes snapped open. She felt a small pressure on her hand and turned to stare at the prince.

"I told you tears don't fit you…" Hope murmured hoarsely as he opened his eyes and green orbs fixed themselves on Lightning's own. "You look… much better with a smile on your face." He smiled weakly and squeezed her hand.

"Hope…" Lightning breathed out and smiled; she brought his hand to her lips and kissed his fingertips. "Thank Hyne!"

Hope breathed heavily and tried to move closer to her, only to wince in pain and fall back to his pillow, he slumped and brought his other hand to his bandaged chest. He hissed slightly and squeezed his eyes shut. His hand never leaving Lightning's.

"Don't move," She murmured quietly and moved closer. "Your injury is really bad."

"I want…" He groaned and opened his eyes to look at her again. "To be next to you…" Hope whispered breathlessly.

She smiled wearily and slowly climbed on the bed next to him. Lightning made her way next to him and lifted him up slightly, cradling him carefully and leaning his head on her chest lovingly. "Is this better?" The princess asked quietly.

"Much better..." He smiled and intertwined their fingers.

"I'm so sorry…" Lightning murmured under her breath as she ran her fingers through the slightly tangled silver hair. "It's my fault you're like this."

Hope shook his head. "Of course not," He smiled softly, leaning closer to her. "I wanted to protect you, even if it took my life."

"Why would you do that?" She frowned and squeezed their joined fingers tightly. "Why?"

The prince smiled. "I thought I told you before," He whispered softly. "I love you too much." He said simply. He… finally said it face to face, those small words that meant everything. He sighed softly and looked up at her.

Their eyes met and Lighting's own widened slightly. "I…" She breathed out and blinked dumbfounded. She… she heard him say it before but she was too shocked to actually process the words. He loved her. _He loved her._

She smiled and let out a small laugh. "I love you, too." Lightning said softly and hugged the small boy in her arms.

Hope hissed slightly and then chuckled when she let go of him like he was on fire.

"I'm sorry!" She apologized and frowned worriedly. "I hurt you…"

"It's nothing," He smiled. "It hurts even worse when you're not holding me close." Hope told her and raised his hand to her face, running his thumb over her cheek lovingly.

Lightning smiled and leaned down to press her lips tenderly to Hope's own.

Unknown to them, the knight had never been asleep.


	10. Friend

I'm so sorry it took so long! It's been a hectic month, so much work at school and we have to get papers ready for graduation and then we had to take like five national exams and stuff and God it was so stressing. And THEN there's the issue with entrance exams and all that jazz.

BUT now I have a week off from school so I'll try to finish another chapter before next Monday! … if I'm not rolling on the floor in pain since I'm having nose surgery this Tuesday… scary stuff I tell you! Wish me luck ;D

Anyways let's stop talking about me and on to the story (:  
Oh and a little something, I began this fic when the english version of the game still wasn't out so I'm gonna stick with Éclair till the end instead of Claire (I like Éclair better anyways)

Also, I'm in search for a beta since I don't have the time to check this thing before posting ):

* * *

"I'm glad you're well," Cecil said with a small relieved smile as he sat across the bed Hope was resting on. "We were all really worried about you."

Hope shook his head and tried to sit up, only to be pushed back by Lightning who murmured a small 'no', making him lean down again.

The prince sighed and did so. "I'm sorry for worrying everyone."

Cecil chuckled wholeheartedly and kept his smile. "I cannot believe you're apologizing after you saved Éclair."

"Dad," Lightning sighed. "Don't call me that."

The king shook his head. "It's your name."

"But you know I hate—"

"I think it's a lovely name," Hope smiled and squeezed Lightning's hand. "But I do have to admit that Lightning fits you nicely… it has grown on me." He chuckled. He really didn't mind calling her 'Light' she was in a sense his light after all. She was strong and bright.

She blushed slightly and tried to hide a small smile.

Cecil smiled and let out a small sigh. "Squall caught the intruder," He said while his face turned serious. "I thought something like this could happen… I was wrong by not taking it seriously enough; I am the only one to blame for what happened to you, Hope."

"No, it was my fault dad. I should have been more alert, I was careless." Lightning said whilst looking away from her father.

"No one is to blame," Hope interjected. "It was an accident; if I had been stronger there would be no need for me to be in bed." He said with a small laugh.

"Don't say that, you're really strong," Lightning murmured and leaned down to place a small kiss on Hope's temple, she then turned to look at the king. "Who's the culprit?"

"We still don't know if it was you or Hope he was after," He admitted quietly while he ran his hand through his silvery locks. "Kuja was the one to throw the attack."

"What?!" Lightning's eyes widened as she stood up abruptly, making Hope flinch slightly.

"Calm down!" Cecil sighed and pressed a palm to his eyes. "I couldn't believe it either… you and I both know Kuja wouldn't do such a thing… not without a good reason at least."

The princess frowned and fisted her hands tightly. She blinked when she felt a small warm hand around her wrist; she looked down at Hope and sighed. Lightning sat down again next to the prince and tried to calm herself down.

Hope smiled at her and then turned to look at the king once more. "Who's Kuja?"

Cecil sighed softly and interlaced his fingers below his chin. "He's—"

"A childhood friend." Lightning said softly.

"Yes, hers and Noctis'…" The king sighed again and tried to relax on the chair but to no avail. "They used to play and study together; he was raised in the same orphanage as Noctis," He turned to look at his daughter and proceeded. "But his magical powers exceeded those of many, so I was the one that decided he should have a sorceress as a teacher."

Lightning frowned slightly. "Ultimecia."

She spoke with a slight venomous tone in her voice. It was not like she hated the woman, but she had been the one to separate Noctis and her from Kuja, who many years ago had been just like Noctis: a brother to her.

"She is a very powerful sorceress, _almost_ as powerful as my dear Terra," He admitted a bit uneasily. "The problem being that I knew she thirsted for power… I decided to overlook it for many years for Kuja's well being… I see now that I was wrong."

Hope frowned, deep in thought. "But still… why would she want to attack Light, or even me for that matter?"

"You see…" Cecil sighed. "I have a reason to believe the attack wasn't really meant for Éclair, but you instead."

Lightning's eyes widened at this as she squeezed Hope's hand in hers tightly. "Why would she do such a thing?"

"Do you remember Cid?" The king asked softly.

Her eyes widened in realization while her hand covered her mouth slightly. "No… it can't be."

"Oh but I believe it can," Cecil frowned then turned to look at the prince. "I believe she was trying to get rid of you, so she could marry her son with Éclair."

Hope frowned slightly enraged, not because someone had just tried to murder him, but for the mere fact that there was someone as twisted as that sorceress that thought she could do as she pleased with their lives. What gave her the right to decide for Light?

Cecil nodded. "Since I rejected her marriage offer years ago, she must still be resenting it since her son won't be the new king of Cocoon."

Lightning was distraught, her face twisting from anger to worry in seconds. "What if… if she tries again?! Hope's in danger!" She said harshly, frowning at the ground.

The prince squeezed her hand and interlaced their fingers. "I'll be alright," He smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry so much."

"How could I not worry?!" She hissed and turned to look at him worriedly. "What if…" She couldn't even bring herself to say it. "I need some air." The princess murmured softly and let Hope's hand drop to the mattress as she stood up hastily.

Hope tried to talk but when he saw Cecil's stern look he decided against it, instead he watched as his wife retreated silently.

The woman exited the room in silence, her fists gripped tightly against her delicate dress, making creases in the soft silk. She bumped into a taller male and looked up to meet the dark blue eyes of her knight. "Noctis…" She sighed softly and tried to relax.

"Princess," He frowned slightly. "I'm so sorry… I should have reacted sooner. The Prince is like this because of me."

Lightning shook her head. "It's… no one's fault." She murmured softly, remembering Hope's own words.

Noctis remained silent for a moment. "Did the king tell you…?"

"About Kuja?" Lightning gritted her teeth together. "He did."

There was an evident turmoil going on inside both of their minds. Kuja had been their friend for many years, and the thought of him doing something like this was just unbearable, under Ultimecia's orders or not… it was unforgiveable.

"Do you know where he is?" She asked him in a low voice, the anger returning to her tone once again.

"The king sent him to the dungeons," Noctis replied after a short silence. "Are you going to see him?"

"Yes." Was the short reply before she turned around and left.

Noctis frowned at her back, he knew her too well. He knew what she wanted to do. The knight decided to follow her silently… just as a precaution.

Lightning walked fast through the bright hallways. She walked through a corridor and noticed burn marks on the carpet and curtains; she frowned and wondered if that was where Kuja was finally caught. The princess felt a small tug at her heart. She loved Kuja just as much as she loved Noctis, he was her brother and it hurt to know what he had done. What reason could he have to attack her or Hope? What could Ultimecia have done?

She felt a familiar sting at her eyes and rubbed them furiously with her hand. Lightning refused to cry anymore, her pride would not allow it. No more.

The princess ran her hand over the burnt patterns of the fabric and wondered for a brief moment if Kuja was hurt. Was he cold? Afraid? Did he regret what he had done? A thousand questions went through her mind, she frowned and looked up with a determined look on her face; she turned around and left the half destroyed corridor behind. She had to speak with him.

She reached the dungeons shortly after; the guards at the door tried to stop her but backed off once they saw the venomous look she threw at them. They knew they didn't want the princess wrath directed towards them.

Lightning walked down the stairs and the air became heavier each step she took, the lights became dim and the dampness was more noticeable. She walked through a small corridor and passed empty cells. This place was rarely used, her father was a benevolent man and there had been almost no need for this dungeon in the past.

Her attention was caught by the slight sobbing from the third cell on the right. She frowned and walked close to the bars as she spotted a crouching figure on the bed… bed? There weren't supposed to be beds on the cells… but then again her father was a benevolent man, and this was Kuja…

His long lilac hair that looked darker in the dim light was now tamed and braided, he was only wearing a simple white robe that reached his ankles, his arms were bandaged and the evident sorrow in his barely audible voice broke Lightning's heart, whatever restraint she had was now gone as her eyes became glassy, she rubbed her eyes silently with the back of her hand as she opened the door.

The squeaking noise of the bars made Kuja flinch and turn around, his grey eyes widened at the sight before him and he scooted away from her to the farthest corner of the bed, he raised his arms and shielded his face from her. "Don't!" He sobbed. "Don't look at me like this… Light…" He sobbed again.

Lightning looked at him for a moment and grunted to herself. Whatever anger she felt at him was now long gone. She could never…

"Kuja…" She murmured softly as she sat next to him on the bed and placed a hand over his shaking arm. "Look at me."

The man breathed heavily and lowered his arms; his eyes were glued to the mattress, too ashamed to even look at the princess. "I'm so sorry…"

"I know that," She whispered and touched the man's face; she ran her fingers over a deep cut on his cheek and frowned when he winced slightly. "What I really want to know is, why?" Lightning said softly. "I know you far too well, and I know you'd never…"

He remained quiet for a while, the tears stopped eventually and he locked his gaze with hers. "She made me," Kuja hissed. "She said that… if I didn't do it, she'd kill Zidane!" He sobbed as his fist connected with the mattress.

Lightning's eyes widened. "Zidane?" She knew him; he was a boy from the orphanage a few years younger than her and Kuja, very troublesome but very warm... a good person. And she knew Kuja was very fond of him.

"Tell me," She said under her breath. "Was the attack meant for me or…?"

Kuja bit his lip and looked down; he refused to look at her and slowly shook his head no. "It… it was meant to hit the… prince."

The princess let out a heavy breath and paled slightly. Hope really was in danger then… "But… why?"

"Because you married him," Kuja said in a low voice. "Because you married Prince Hope and not his son… she wanted the power he'd get if he became the king." He breathed out.

"That woman…" Lightning hissed. "That sorceress is mad." She said venomously.

Kuja frowned and looked at her behind glassy eyes. "I'm so sorry… I betrayed your trust, the kingdom! Our friendship…" He murmured in a shaky voice. "I regret what I did… so much."

Lightning knew he was being honest; Kuja had never been the one to cry over something he didn't mean. She believed in him and it tore her apart. Her love for Hope had grown immeasurably and she didn't know what to do. She knew her friend had no ill intentions towards her or her kingdom; he did it in order to protect someone he loved…

The princess blinked in realization and turned to look at Kuja once more, she placed her hand over his and squeezed it lightly. "Do you… love Zidane?" She asked quietly.

His sobbing stopped abruptly and his hand shook slightly. His eyes slowly rose to meet hers and he said nothing.

Lightning needed no answer, for she found it in his eyes. She smiled and nodded. "I understand why you did it, Kuja…" The princess said softly. "I would have done the same." She admitted shamefully.

Noctis leaned on the wall outside the cell silently with a small smile on his lips. He was happy because he misjudged the princess' reaction towards Kuja. She had changed… love had changed her. And he was happy for her.

* * *

"I will kill her myself." Lightning declared in front of her father.

Cecil frowned at her daughter and let out a heavy sigh. "You can't do that, my dear," He said whilst rubbing his temple. He knew he wouldn't be able to dissuade her but he had to try. "You cannot stain your hands with blood; you'll be the next Queen of Cocoon!"

Lightning frowned but kept her eyes set on the king's. "You can't stop me, father," She said, her voice enraged but low. "You would have done the same if she had tried to kill my mother." She declared with a hiss, she was determined and nothing would stop her now.

The king remained silent; he knew she was right… he would have done the same. "You do realize that House Raines has tremendous power, Ultimecia has thousands of powerful sorcerers under her command; there will be war if you decide to do something reckless."

"I know that! But you expect me to do nothing?!" Lightning demanded an asnwer from her father. "She almost killed Hope! How could I go on living without him now?!" She screamed without thinking. Her eyes widened and she took a step back. It was not like her to say something like that, she had never... But she loved Hope very much, now that she knew what love was, it would be impossible for her to live without him. "I cannot forgive her."

Cecil stared at her unbelievingly, the prince had managed to have a great impact on his daughter in such a short time... He sighed and leaned back on his throne. "I understand," He said softly. "Then you will lead the army."


	11. Togetherness

OMG WHAT IS THIS? AN UPDATE? HOLY CRAP RUN FOR YOUR LIVES IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!

But seriously guys, I'm sorry for not updating in so long and all that. At least I gave you a oneshot to make the wait less painful!  
BUT HERE IT IS NOW! 8D LET'S PARTY!

I'm really surprised at how popular my fanfic is, I never expected to get so may messages asking me if the chapter was being written, when I started writing this I never dreamed for it to be... well, popular xD  
I really have no words to thank you guys! You make me want to write more and more :)

GOD I've had the worst month ever, I had my calculus final exam three days ago and guess what? I FAILED THE CLASS |||OTL

Ugh I'm gonna talk to my teacher tomorrow and see if she wants to give me some points haha.

If not… SUMMER SCHOOL UGH

ANYWAYS I'll stop talking about me now.

On another note.  
If you don't have me in your author alert and like HopexLight go read my oneshot _Chocolate_ (:

Now…. Enjoy! FINALLY! (This chapter contains slight boyxboy, but nothing too big :D)

* * *

A princess should be graceful, feminine… an example for everyone else in the kingdom. Lightning was not that case, her gracefulness and beauty were different from the rest of the princesses. She was in no way like _everyone else._

When growing up she spent most of her time with three people: Noctis, Kuja and most importantly, her cousin Cloud. The age gap between them was smaller than that of her and her sisters; and with her being the only girl and the youngest of the group, they treated her like their most precious treasure. When Kuja left for Ultimecia's manor to hone his magic she felt like an important part of her was taken away, and then after Noctis started his training at the age of twelve she was left only with Cloud.

He was the oldest of the group being three years older than Lightning, however he was almost the splitting image of her and people would often confuse them as twins. His feminine looks were nothing Cloud was proud of, but whether he admitted it or not, he was one of the most beautiful males of the kingdom with his light golden hair and sharp blue eyes with the smallest hint of green around the pupils.

He and Lightning were very close when growing up, for at least four more years it was only the two of them with the eventual company of Noctis when he had a day off or two. As time passed they became more and more alike and they were happy with that. However one day something started to stir within the blond, a feeling of emptiness and need for something else; he decided it was time for him to do something more of his life so he joined the military at the age of seventeen, and when he turned eighteen he was already second in command at the royal army's special forces, only under Celes and Squall's command.

Until then he had been a great influence in the young princess' life, it had been him who had shaped her personality to be the way it was today. Yes, they both had their share of issues, but that was what made them human, that was what made them who they were. They resembled each other in many aspects and Lightning loved Cloud very, very much.

Then it was heard that Cloud's lover was killed in action when a group of mercenaries attacked his squad one night during a reconnaissance mission.

Cloud was devastated after that and he shut himself away from the world, he created a barrier so strong so that no one could come close to him. Only Lightning could break that barrier to approach him and so when he began becoming more and more introverted, so did she.

But it was harder for Lightning, when you were royalty like her, appearances mattered too much to ignore, even when she was hurting inside she would have to smile to please others. She shared Cloud's pain and became a bit lonelier every day.

And just like she loved him, Cloud loved her as well. He cared for her like no other person, not even Noctis could compare to the affection he felt towards the princess, their love was mutual and no one could compete. Their bond was much deeper than that of a sibling.

It was hard for them to show it but they somehow managed to share the way they felt. The love they felt for each other was strong enough so words were not needed to let the other know just how much they cared. One caring look or loving glance, a gentle squeeze to the shoulder or the slight bumping of sides was enough for them to know.

And now that Lightning was in need of someone, Cloud rushed to her side in no time. They sat in the garden side by side since Light had taken a liking to it as of lately, it was probably because she had spent most of her time with Hope before he was wounded here. This place held special memories for her.

Cloud's hand rested over hers applying a gentle, reassuring pressure. "What are you going to do now?" He asked under his breath. "Are you really willing to risk your soldiers' lives? _Your_ life?"

Lightning remained quiet for a moment and then turned to look at Cloud. "I… really don't know what I should do," She sighed and leaned her head on the blond's shoulder. "But I just… can't stand here and do nothing; that sorceress tried to kill him and I just can't forgive her." The princess hissed under her breath and clutched her dress with her other hand until her knuckles became white.

"You have to think things through, Light," He sighed. "This isn't something you can just rush like that."

"I know that, Cloud." She frowned.

"…You really love him, right?" Cloud asked with a small smile while leaning his head over hers and closing his eyes.

"I do," She sighed. "And that's exactly why I feel like I need to do something." Lightning said, the worry evident in her voice.

"I know how you feel, Light… not many years ago I felt the same way," He whispered painfully while squeezing his eyes shut. "Only you still have him by your side."

"Cloud…" She murmured softly. "You're still hurting, aren't you?"

Cloud smiled. "When you love someone as much as I did, you never stop hurting no matter how much time goes by," He said sadly. "But the pain eventually becomes bearable and you try to find the courage to move on."

Lightning gave her cousin a sad look. "Did you find it?" She asked. "The courage."

The blond sighed softly and nodded. "That's what Zack would have wanted," He smiled again. "He told me with his last breath to live on… so I did."

Lightning was silent for a moment and smiled at him. She knew Cloud was a gentle person; he was kind and loving even though most people thought him to be cold and lonely. She knew better than that. She knew that her cousin was the most sensitive person in the world even if he didn't show it to everyone else.

"I'm glad you're better." She said honestly. If there was something Lightning wished for with all her heart was for her beloved Cloud's happiness.

"It took a long time," Cloud chuckled softly. "But time is the best remedy for a broken heart… right?" He murmured and caressed Lightning's cheek lovingly. "I'm sure that when the time comes you'll know what to do."

Lightning sucked a deep breath and closed her eyes. She really wished he was right. Her eyes opened the slightest and then widened. A small, trembling silhouette stood by the roses, clutching the stone pillar with one pale hand.

"Hope!" Lightning said worriedly while leaving the warm embrace of his cousin to run to her husband's side. "Why are you outside? You should be resting in bed!" She frowned and held her arms out for Hope.

The silveret lost his balance and threw himself into her open arms, clutching the sides of her dress slightly.

She caught him and warped her arms around him, crouching until her knees hit the grass at the same time so Hope wouldn't have to be standing anymore. "I told you to rest…" She whispered and ran a hand though the silvery locks of hair. "You need to recover soon." She sighed and fixed the boy's body between her arms so he was more comfortable.

"I couldn't stand being locked inside a room anymore…" Hope groaned and buried his face in her neck. "And I wanted to see you… I wanted to see you so bad."

She laughed softly under her breath. "You saw me this morning." She smiled and kissed his forehead.

"I don't want you to go," He said softly. "I heard from your father… what you want to do. It's not worth it."

"How can't it be? She hurt you and for that…" She frowned and hugged him tightly. "I cannot forgive her."

"I don't want you to get hurt, what would I do if something happened to you?" Hope pleaded.

"You have to understand…" Lightning's expression was pained, confused but at the same time…

Cloud watched them in silence and he understood just how much Hope meant to his cousin. He had never seen Lightning make such an expression before. It hurt.

"But…" Hope opened his eyes to look at her but a figure behind her caught his attention. He was… the splitting image of her, just as beautiful. He squinted his eyes, was he delusional? Was he dying now? That might be the case, that man could be an angel.

"Are you surprised?" Cloud smiled and crouched next to them, placing a hand on the princess back, making her look up at him. "We look alike, don't we?" He chuckled.

"We're cousins." Lightning told Hope.

"It's nice to meet you, Hope," Cloud said, bowing his head slightly. "My name is Cloud Strife."

Hope surveyed him for a moment. _Strife?_ His face… was not fit for that name. "It's nice to meet you, too."

Cloud nodded and stood up, brushing the dust off his dark trousers. "I think I should leave you two alone… I'll see you later." And with that he left.

He couldn't stand being there anymore, he walked fast through the silver corridors, the light reflecting off the blue and green glass windows giving the hall an eerie glow.

It hurt him looking at them, the love in their eyes made him happy for her, but sad for himself. It made him remember… remember him dying in his arms, his blue eyes looking at him with all the love he could muster up, the blood dripping from his cheeks. His warm caress turning colder every second, the cold rain against his skin as the body between his arms became limp. One last _I love you._

A shrill scream.

No. No. _No. _Cloud clutched his fists tightly. He was scared… scared that he might not be able to love someone as much as he loved Zack, afraid of not really being able to move on with his life. Would he be able to really love someone again?

He walked faster and thought about Lightning and Hope, they seemed so happy together, they were _meant_ to be together. They were lucky that fate had brought them together like that. Whenever he looked at them his heart would start aching. Not even now that he had found someone else could he control the sadness that stirred within him.

A bond so strong could not be erased by anything, he was lying to himself, not even time could make him forget, the wound would heal but the scar would remain there, it would never fade. The memories would haunt him like ghosts and the heartache would sometimes be unbearable.

More memories of Zack flooded his mind and before he knew it he had stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn't do this… his eyes filled with tears as his late lover's last words echoed in his mind. _Live on._ He had said, but how could he?

"Cloud?" A deep voice asked behind him, a voice he had come to know and love. _Love._ Yes, love. "What's wrong?"

Cloud looked at him and noticed the dampness in his cheeks. "Squall…" Yes, he was afraid.

"Did something happen?" The brunet frowned and walked closer to the other, placing his hands over the blond's shoulders.

And he understood then. "I…" He was afraid, not because he thought he couldn't love someone again. But…

"I love you." Cloud whispered softly.

But because he found someone he loved _more_.

Squall smiled sadly at the blond in a rare show of emotion from the commander, emotion he showed only to Cloud and him alone. "I know… I love you too," He said softly, warping his arms around the younger male. "With all I got." Squall knew what was on Cloud's mind, he always did. He knew what Cloud had been through and he understood just how much he must have suffered in the past. He also knew how much Cloud loved Zack.

But that was ok. As long as Cloud loved him as well.

Cloud sighed, slightly relieved. "This is all I need," He murmured into Squall's jacket as he clung close. "I only need you."

Squall knew Cloud meant those words.

* * *

Lightning stared at the young prince as he rested his head on her lap sleeping peacefully. He said he wanted to stay outside so Lightning decided to make him happy by letting him sleep in the garden. He looked so fragile… She frowned as she ran a hand across his chest where the icicle had been only three days ago.

How did it become like this? Why did this have to happen? Why Kuja of all the people?

Kuja…

He had been her best friend for many years, just like a brother to her, almost as close as Noctis. She knew he had a reason to do what he did but… Hope meant so much to her it was hard to completely forgive the man for his actions. Ultimecia had Zidane hostage and Kuja had no choice. Lightning knew that… she knew people did the unthinkable for love.

Just like she was willing to do anything for Hope.

She sighed and leaned her head back to stare at the evening sky. The red clouds passed by calmly and Lightning could only wonder what she should do. She knew Hope didn't want her to fight, but it was the only thing she could think about now. She was strong, stronger than many of the knights, only Noctis proved to be a challenge for her in battle; she could surely lead the army to victory.

…But was it really worth it? Risking thousands of her soldier's lives against the most powerful sorcerers of the kingdom for her own personal gain? Ultimecia had control over most on the wizards and sorcerers of the country, they feared and respected her. Lightning feared her, too.

Nonsense. Of course it was worth it, Hope meant more than her whole life to her. She could surely…

"You look like you're in pain." Hope said under his breath.

Lightning looked down at him slightly surprised. "How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough to know what you're thinking about." He said with a tiny smile. He tried to shift his position but hissed when pain shot through his back to his chest.

"Don't move so suddenly." Lightning sighed and helped him into a sitting position next to her.

Hope grunted and moved closer to her, resting his head on her shoulder. He chuckled softly; _this should be the other way around_, he thought with a smile. It didn't bother him as much as in the beginning only because Lightning had shown him she didn't care at all. She would repeatedly say that he'd grow up eventually, maybe even be taller than her. "I get tired if I stay in the same position, you know."

"You still need to rest," She retorted. "I want you to get better soon." The princess smiled at him and pressed a small kiss to his forehead.

"I already feel fine." He said as a small sigh left his lips. He still couldn't control himself when she showed him small affectionate gestures, it meant so much to him she still shivered when she kissed him, when they held each other, even when they held hands.

"Liar," She raised a brow and placed a finger over his slowly recovering injury, applying a small pressure over it with the tip of her finger, earning a grunt from the silveret. "See? You're not _fine_."

"Alright, you win," He pouted and rubbed the now sore spot. "At least I'm alive." He chuckled.

She frowned slightly. "Yes…" She sighed.

Hope looked at her and frowned as well. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't joke about that," He said under his breath and reached up to place his hand over her cheek, caressing is lovingly. "But I'm ok now, we're still together." He smiled.

"If she had succeeded…" She frowned and looked away from him. "My kingdom would probably be at war right now."

"No," He said, making her turn to look at him. "I don't want you to fight," Hope frowned. "I don't want any blood spilt because of me."

"How can I just do nothing? She might try to harm you again."

"Then we have to find another way," He urged. "There _must_ be a way so no one else gets hurt." He smiled at her.

"That woman won't stop, she wants power, and she's blinded by greed." Lightning retorted stubbornly. She knew Ultimecia, and she had no reason, she didn't care one bit for others.

"We'll never know if we don't try," He chuckled softly. "We can try and be diplomatic, if everything else fails, then I'll let you have your way…" Hope hummed. "But I won't let you fight alone."

She threw a questioning look at him. "But—"

"No buts, you know I can fight, I'll learn magic, too."

"You're still hurt."

"I'll get better in no time."

"I don't want you to fight." Lightning said firmly.

Hope frowned and leaned slightly away from her. "Then you won't either."

"You can't stop me." She hissed.

"Yes I can," He said, raising his voice. "I am your husband, remember?" Hope almost shouted with a pained expression, the effort making his wound pound slightly, his breath ragged.

Lightning was speechless; she stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth half open in disbelief. Had Hope just… "What…?"

He groaned and rubbed his temple. "I'm… sorry," He murmured. "If you want to do this, then we're doing it together… I won't let you leave me behind while you fight."

She closed her eyes and let out a soft breath. Knowing Hope, she should have known she was going to lose this argument. "Alright then…" Lightning sighed.

He smiled. "We're still going to try and find a peaceful way to solve this."

Lightning sighed and lowered her eyes in defeat. "But if it doesn't work I'll have it my way!" She grunted and crossed her arms over her chest while looking away.

"I know," He sighed much more calmly now. Hope looked at Lightning and smiled lovingly at her, he moved his hand for it to rest on her cheek and make her look at him. "Light…"

She sighed and looked at him. "Yes?"

"Do you know why I don't want you to fight alone?" He smiled. "It's because I want us to be together always, no matter what," Hope said softly while caressing her cheek lovingly. "Because I love you… so much."

Lightning's breath caught in her throat and her eyes watered a bit. She was so selfish. She had thought that she had been the only one worrying, the only one suffering because of this. Lightning had never taken into account Hope's feelings in this. He loved her as well; of course he'd be worried, too.

"Hope…" She murmured softly. "I want us to be together, too."

He smiled at her and leaned up to press his lips against Lightning's own, ignoring the slight pain in his chest.

"I love you, too." She whispered at him while warping her arms around him.

"We'll find a way to make things work." Hope murmured and hugged the princess close. "I'll make sure of it."

"I know." Lightning said softly and pressed her lips to his again.

At least for now, they could be together.

* * *

If it's full of typos I don't care anymore!


	12. Ache

Guys, sometimes it seems like I'm dead, but I'm not haha. You know I'm human and I actually _do_ have a life xD  
Oh by the way, my birthday is next monday, May 31st. I'll be 18, legal in my country ;D  
My prom was two days ago and boy, was it **_awesome. _**I had a blast and enjoyed myself so much, me feet still hurt like hell and I can barely stand 'cuz my knees are killing me orz

ANYWAYS  
If you didn't get an alert about it, I updated chapter 11, I took down the poem and uploaded the REAL chapter 11 xD

The first thing I wrote of this chapter, was the ending xD

Well, enjoy~

* * *

Hope was finding it slightly difficult to breathe, several days had passed since the incident and he couldn't stand properly yet without the help of a cane. He felt so useless right now. He knew Lightning wanted to start a war with the sorceress who tried to kill him and he somehow felt that no matter what he did he wouldn't be able to stop her.

He sighed slightly and leaned against a wall in the corridor, he was so sick of being held in a room he decided to take a walk… or what could be considered a walk taking his limping into account whilst Lightning was at a meeting with her father and Celes; he assumed they were talking about the upcoming conflict. The prince still wanted to solve things in a more diplomatic way; he actually wanted to _talk_ with Ultimecia. Maybe he could fix the problem without having any blood spilt over something like this.

He was alive, that was what mattered, he didn't want any more conflicts to rise because of him, it was pointless if he was already fine.

But Lightning didn't think like that… he had come to know the woman very well in the past month, it almost felt like more time had gone by. He already felt like they had known each other for a long time… but perhaps that was taking too much credit; even if he hated to admit it, he knew that there were people who knew his wife much better than him. It made him angry and slightly distressed.

He thought about Noctis and his eyes narrowed. He didn't hate the man, no, Hope didn't think he was capable of truly hating someone… but he felt a slight aversion towards him, he didn't think he'd ever feel comfortable around the knight, there was just something about him that made him feel uneasy. He could swear that Noctis looked at the Princess with more than admiration or respect… Lightning had said she loved him like a brother, but Hope was sure that the knight's love towards her was much deeper than that of a sibling.

It bothered him to no end knowing that _he_ was her best friend, she even told him so once. It made him boil with jealousy when she saw her talking so comfortably with him, it wasn't reciprocal of course, Noctis always remained as stoic as he could when talking with the princess, but sometimes… even if for the slightest moment, a smile would escape his lips and he'd seem… happy.

Was he being selfish? He wondered how the princess would react to his thoughts, would she be mad? The fact that he wanted to keep Lightning all to himself made Hope feel disturbed, never in his life had he tried to posses something, and certainly not posses _someone._

He could almost hear Lightning laughing at him if he ever said these things to her. The last time he let her know he was jealous of Noctis she told him not to mind him. But how couldn't he? Even if it hurt his pride to admit it, the knight was everything Hope had ever wanted to be.

He was still a child, of course, but it bothered him knowing that it would take many years to ever accomplish whatever Noctis already had, and when that time came, the knight would be even farther away from his reach. He'd never be the man he was anyways, his health had always been bad and he still had a lot of trouble using magic, especially after the incident, Lightning refused to teach him anymore, saying it would only put him in danger again.

The fact that Kuja had attacked him during his magical training with the princess had only been a terrible coincidence; it had nothing to do with it! Hope sighed softly and kept walking. He needed to find a way to get stronger soon.

He knew that if Lightning wanted to fight she would have it her way; there was no way to stop her no matter what he did. That's the reason he wanted to get better, there was no way he would let her fight alone. If she wanted to fight they'd do it together, no matter what she said.

Was he really being selfish?

No… Lightning was being selfish as well. Hope narrowed his eyes and sighed. She was being selfish because she wasn't listening to him, he didn't want her to fight, yet she was already making preparations for the army even before Hope could be given the chance to try and talk to Ultimecia.

He remained still. Bur really… what were the odds that a woman who tried to kill him would listen to anything he had to say...? _What_ was he gonna say anyways? He shuddered at the thought. It… really wasn't the best idea to go to her in person, right?

If fighting was the only way out of this… then he wouldn't sand by with his arms crossed while his _wife_ fought for him, he had pride too. He needed to get stronger still and fast, and he knew who he'd ask for help.

That was the main reason he was outside his bedroom, he was searching for a certain princess he knew was good with magic. He knew Yuna was going to help him if he asked, even though he had to admit he felt slightly guilty doing it behind Lightning's back he couldn't possibly stop now, he knew that if he didn't do _something_ she would charge into the battlefield alone and he wouldn't allow that even if it cost him his life.

Hope sighed softly and limped all the way to Yuna's chamber, he had visited the princess several days in the past since now he knew how she felt being trapped between four walls all the time. It was the most annoying thing in the world not being able to go out and breathe fresh air, to feel the sunlight on your skin… it was like being a caged bird. So a little company would always be good for her.

He had done this without Lightning knowing, she was spending less and less time with him and he wondered why. Perhaps she was really busy making the preparations, but every night when she returned to their bedroom, when their eyes met she would avert hers, not wanting to look at him in the eye.

The prince felt hurt by her sudden cold attitude, he didn't quite understand what was happening to her, he wanted to spend more time with her but she'd been avoiding him as much as she could. He had tried to bring up the subject last night but she just shrugged it off, she was stubborn.

Just like him.

He knocked on the wooden doors before him, he hummed softly as he inspected the detail… these doors were different from the rest of the castle. He had asked Lulu about it and she had mentioned something about Yuna's magic and keeping it at a safe level.

Hope shuddered slightly, was she that powerful that they had to use charms to keep it under control?

The door opened and Lulu walked outside… he'd never get accustomed to the woman's stare, it almost seemed like she could see right through him, it wasn't uncomfortable, but it felt like she could read him like a book, proving to be quite embarrassing.

"Yes your highness?" She spoke softly, he voice was soothing and calm, it was a wonder to Hope, she certainly didn't look like someone who could be sweet but in reality she was caring and kind, no one could take care of Yuna better than her.

"Lulu, I told you just Hope is fine." He said with a smile.

"That would be quite disrespectful from me, my Prince." She bowed her head slightly.

"You call Yuna by her name." He responded, raising a brow slightly and smirking a bit.

"Well… you have a point," She sighed and then smiled. "As you wish Hope," Lulu shook her head, this kid was smarter than it seemed. "How can I be of assistance?"

"Um… Well, I was wondering if I could see Yuna today, is she feeling well?"

Lulu nodded. "She was asleep just now, but I'm sure she'd love the company." She said and opened the door a bit more so Hope could enter.

Yuna's room was something he'd never imagined, it almost seemed like you were entering a foreign country… even another world. The dimmed light, the scents, the _atmosphere,_ everything felt different than the rest of the castle. The first time he had entered they spent the entire day talking about the _furniture, _yes, it was _that_ interesting.

"Hope!" A soft, cheerful voice called from the bed. Yuna was still under her covers and leaning back on her pillows.

"Hi," He smiled and pulled a chair next to the bedpost nearest to the young princess. She was two years older than him but she looked his same age, she was fragile due her health and he knew that. Then the guilt came again… he didn't really feel good asking her to teach him magic knowing that she had a weak body. "How are you feeling today?"

"Much better, thank you," She giggled softly under her breath. "Ever since you started coming to visit, I'm much better."

"I told you she liked the company," Lulu smiled. "Shall I go get something to eat, Yuna?"

"I want… something sweet," She smiled. "I'm getting hungry already."

Lulu smiled at her and leaned over the bed to press a small kiss to her forehead. "I'll be right back." And with that she exited the room, leaving the two teens alone.

Yuna watched as her guardian left the room and turned to Hope. "I know you want to ask me something."

Hope was startled by her sudden statement and averted his eyes. "What makes you think that?"

"Well," Yuna smiled and placed her index finger over her lips, as if in thought. "You usually come earlier… meaning you were thinking something and lost track of time."

She was sharp, Hope decided.

"And you just averted your eyes from me, you only do that when you're embarrassed… meaning I was right on the spot."

Sharp indeed. "Well actually… yeah, I have a favor to ask."

"I bet it has to do with my sister, right?"

Hope sighed, how could she be so accurate? "You must know she wants to fight Ultimecia."

"It's impossible not to know," Yuna sighed and tried to relax against her pillows. "She's always been like that, once something is in her mind, she won't stop."

"I know…" He murmured and fisted his fingers. "I don't… I don't want her to fight alone but, I only know how to use swords and bows," He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. "How can I fight a sorceress with just that?"

"Ah…" Yuna nodded. "I understand," She smiled at him and placed a hand over Hope's making him look at her. "When do you want to start?"

Hope's eyes widened slightly. "But… can you endure it? I mean… your health isn't that good, right?"

"I told you," She giggled, while pushing the blankets off her legs while letting them fall off the edge of the bed, her toes barely touching the ground. "I'm feeling much better now."

"Yuna…" Hope looked at her worriedly.

"Don't look at me like that," She sighed sweetly. "Do me a favor, will you? Go to that wooden cabinet, and bring me what's inside." She said, pointing at a fancy cabinet on the other side of the room, just like the door, it had different patterns all over it.

Hope obeyed and stood up with help of his cane, he slowly made his way to the cabinet and noticed that it was a bit taller than him; he frowned slightly and opened the thin, wooden door. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of a beautiful gold and blue staff. He took it with his free hand and noticed it was quite heavy… it sure didn't look like it.

He walked back with some more effort due the staff's weight, he glanced at Yuna and noticed she was still smiling. Hope handed her the staff and she took it effortlessly with one hand… how did she…?

"It was heavy, right?" Yuna murmured and stood up, leaning a bit of her weight on the staff, much like Hope with his cane. "It was heavy because you're not used to magic… well, not so much anyways, Lulu has a hard time lifting it." She giggled.

"But… how?" Hope was very confused.

"This staff contains most of my magic," She explained. "Since my body is not strong enough to contain all of it… that is also the main reason why I'm weak, because my power resides here." She shook the staff slightly, making the small bells chime.

"Yuna!" Lulu scolded her from the door; she put the tray with sweets down on the small table next to her and hurried to her side. "You know you shouldn't get up to grab your staff if I'm not around."

"Hope got it for me." She smiled at Lulu knowingly.

Lulu's eyes widened and turned to Hope. "You did?"

Hope frowned. "Did I do something wrong?"

"He lifted it up… with one hand." Yuna said.

Lulu looked at Yuna. "How?"

"It wasn't that heavy?" Hope said. Just what was going on?

"He wants me to teach him magic," Yuna smiled at Lulu. "He wants to fight alongside Light."

Lulu nodded and turned to Hope. "I will assist you as well."

"Ah…"

"We have to start right away if you want to be ready on time."

* * *

A sigh left the young prince's lips as he made his way back to his quarters with much effort, his body was not used to this kind of thing, especially being wounded at that.

Hope was exhausted, he knew magic was something hard to learn but he never imagined that _Yuna_ of all people would be so strong. She was a strict person when it came to teaching the ways of the arcane; it seemed it was really important to her that he learned as quickly as possible so they had spent almost all day practicing with Lulu being her opponent in a small training fight. She was _good._

He didn't think the war would break out anytime soon, these things took time to think over and strategize; he had been witness of several conflicts back in his homeland, so at least he could be sure about this.

He sighed and ran a hand over his bandaged wound. His mother had been dead worried, but Hope knew that if she came Ashe would only be in danger as well so he forbid her to come, it wasn't safe for any of them, his family was not wanted by Ultimecia at all and she was a dangerous woman.

Of course the queen of Pulse didn't like the idea of him staying and she was probably right, he should return back home.

_Home. _

But wasn't this his home as well? He frowned. If he left now it'd be like he was running away… but maybe it'd be better if he did. If _they_ did. He wouldn't leave Lightning behind, of course not, and that way there would be no need for bloodshed.

But he knew that she'd be against it, he knew she'd want to fight for him and make it all better but this was not the way. He'd have to—

"My prince."

Hope was startled and turned around to face Noctis. _When the hell did he get there?_ "Yes?"

"What are you doing out so late?" He asked.

Hope couldn't quite decide if the knight was worried or if he was just annoyed he was out his bedroom when _Lightning_ had asked him to stay there. "Well, I don't like being in my room all day. It feels like a prison."

"The Princess asked you to stay there for your own good," The man spoke sternly. "She only wishes for your best."

"Ah…" Hope averted his eyes. "I know."

"Your highness—"

"Stop it Noctis, just call me Hope," The prince sighed. "I don't like being treated so greatly when I know I'm just a kid."

"But you are still royalty, there's no changing that, my lord." He said.

"Just call me by my name, please." It was true; Hope didn't like to be addressed as royalty, especially at this kingdom. He was just a child and didn't want to seem spoiled… not in front of the people Light knew so well, even less in front of her.

"Lord Hope, then," Noctis sighed. "If I may…?"

"Yes?"

"I'd never be able to say this to my Princess, but I think I should tell you," The knight looked slightly troubled. "I don't want this fight to happen, it's a danger to us all, especially Princess Éclair."

Hope felt… shocked at the strange behavior of the knight… or at least what seemed strange for him; up until now he had only seen the man be quiet and collected. "I don't want this war either."

"Then you should leave," The knight told him. "Forget Lady Éclair… go back to Pulse and stay there forever."

Hope's eyes widened. "What?"

"This all stared because of your marriage," Noctis remained cold. "It'd be better for all of us if you left… You'll only make the Princess risk her life if she fights."

The breath caught in Hope's throat. It was true. This was his fault, his and no one else's. If he stayed here, Lightning's desire to fight would be fueled further, if something happened to her he'd...

Maybe if he left everything would be better. They'd be safe and everything would be alright again.

But…

He felt his eyes welling up with tears as he looked to the ground; he looked up to the knight and the turned around to leave as fast as his legs could take him.

"You know," Fang sighed from her resting place against the wall nearby. "You were really out of line there… I wonder what would happen if the Princess found out, hm?" She raised a brow at the other knight with a smirk whilst crossing her arms over her chest.

Noctis narrowed his eyes slightly and hummed, shrugging at the same time. "I only said the truth."

"Heh," The woman snorted and took a step forward. "That's what _you_ want to believe," She murmured and made a gesture with her hand. "You're easy to read Noct, you're like an open book to me."

The knight narrowed her eyes at the woman. "It's none of your business."

"Of course it is, Light is my friend after all," Fang snapped back at him. "You know it'll hurt her if Hope suddenly decides to leave, especially if he leaves without her."

Noctis let out a deep breath.

"She'll hate you if she finds out," The woman sighed and walked forward, placing a hand over Noctis' shoulder. "Listen, you have to let her go… she was never yours to begin with."

He clenched his fists and threw a hurt glance at Fang.

"You know she loves Hope, and that cannot be undone anymore, you know people like them are out of our reach, no matter what we do we're not meant to be."

"But…"

"No buts," Fang patted his shoulder and let her hand drop. "Think about it Noct, you know what's best for her." She said and kept walking, leaving the knight alone.

Noctis stared at the ground and clenched his teeth. He knew it all along, but he hadn't been willing to accept it. She'd never be his. _Never._

But if she hated him for what he had done, it'd be alright. As long as she was safe, it'd be alright.


	13. Distance

HOLY CRAP I DO REALIZE IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME OTL

On the bright side, I'm on vacation now so I might update soon hahaha.

Enjoy~

* * *

Lightning was slightly worried about Hope; the prince had been avoiding her for the last couple of days. Perhaps he was mad at her because she had been busy with the preparations for the fight? She knew he didn't want her to fight, but there was no other choice, if she didn't stop that sorceress she'd try to harm him again.

Hope was still young and thus he was naïve, but Lightning knew better, she knew that woman fairly well. She had tried to marry her off with her son years ago, but her engagement with Hope was already decided since the prince's birth.

She admitted Cid was a good man, he had a good sense of justice and could be a good ruler, but he was only a puppet controlled by his mother. And Cecil knew that, too, there could be no way her father would let her marry someone he knew could do so much harm to the kingdom.

The princess knew what she had to do; she had to protect Hope even if it went against his wishes. She knew there was no other way.

Still, she couldn't help but feel slightly hurt for his behavior. He was always already asleep when she came back to their room at night and when he was still awake he wouldn't even meet her eyes. There was something wrong with him and she wanted to know what it was. He wouldn't talk about it even when she asked and that worried her even more.

Hope had been pretty open about his feelings since the day they married; there hadn't been one thing that he hadn't told her… right?

She sighed softly and sat down in the living room, it was already dark outside and Hope was probably already asleep, there was really no point in trying to go and talk to him at this hour anyways.

"Yo, Light," Fang called out to her and sat in the sofa across from her. "Something on your mind?"

Lightning didn't even turn to look at warrior as she shrugged. "I don't really know." She sighed softly and leaned her elbow on the chair's arm.

"I can tell something's bothering you," Fang mused and crossed her legs, leaning back into the cushions. "I've known you practically all my life." She chuckled softly.

It was true they were rivals, but they both knew that was just another way of saying they were friends. After all, Fang was the only other woman in the castle that was closer to her in age. It was obvious they'd feel that kind of comfort being around each other, it was only natural for them to understand the other's feelings.

Lightning turned to look at the other woman and smiled. Yeah, ever since the beginning, Fang had been a true friend to her.

Whenever Terra had tried for Light to befriend some of the daughters of the noble houses of Cocoon she'd end up hating all of them, they were shallow and didn't understand anything about the true meaning of being a ruler, they were only interested in her because of the crown she'd wear one day.

But Fang was different from the rest of the women she had met throughout her life, perhaps the fact that she didn't have noble blood made that difference more noticeable, or the simple fact that Fang didn't care about what anyone had to say about her. She had always treated Lightning as an equal, and not as nobility. The princess was really grateful for that.

"I guess I'm just worried about Hope." Lightning shrugged again and rubbed her fingers against her temple.

"The little guy givin' you a hard time?" Fang snorted under her breath. "Never saw that one coming; I thought it'd be the other way 'round."

Lightning let out a small laugh. "To tell the truth, I thought the exact same thing, but…" She let out a tiny breath. "I don't know what's been bothering him, ever since a couple of days ago he's been ignoring me," She frowned. "Perhaps it was my fault, I had been neglecting him since I started preparations for the battle."

"I don't really think that's the case," The older woman hummed, playing with a strand of black hair. "Ever thought maybe he's thinking of something else?"

The princess blinked. "Maybe," She nodded. "Am I being too self-centered?" Lightning chuckled.

"Why don't you ask him anyways?"

Lightning sighed. "You think I haven't tried? He's been _avoiding _me, Fang," She frowned. "He barely speaks to me; I can tell he doesn't even want to look at me in the eye."

The woman snorted. "I can't believe Hope is giving you the silent treatment," Fang smirked. "But most importantly, I can't believe you're so flustered that a _kid _isn't talking to you."

"Shut up, Fang," Lightning warned her as she narrowed her eyes. "Of course I care."

"Because you fell in love with him, right?"

Lightning remained quiet and averted her eyes. "Yeah," She sighed softly. "I did."

"And he loves you, too," Fang hummed and crossed her arms, nodding once. "Have you ever thought that maybe he's worried about you?"

The princess' eyes widened… she really was self-centered, wasn't she? "I'm such a bad person."

"Just a bit," The warrior snorted. "You should talk to him."

Lightning knew she was right. "I'll go now," The princess said and stood up. "Thank you, Fang." And with that she left.

Fang sighed as she saw the princess back disappear behind the curtains that separated the rooms. She knew perfectly well why Hope was avoiding Lightning, but it wasn't her place to tell. As much as she could be a troublemaker she would never want to be the reason for discord between the princess and her knight. Especially since she knew just how much Lightning meant to Noctis.

She rubbed her forehead and decided this was just too much drama for her.

* * *

The young prince was unsure of what to do; he knew that it was probably best if he left for good. At first he had been mad at his wife for neglecting him to prepare for battle, he had been selfish then but now he was grateful she was busy, that way he wouldn't have to face her yet.

He walked in the dining room and spotted a familiar face. Serah was still here? "You're still awake?" Hope asked while taking a seat next to the princess.

"I couldn't sleep," She shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm worried about Snow; he left yesterday to check on some troops that went out on a recognition mission."

"Oh…" The prince hummed and eyed the girl. "Do you… like him?"

Serah giggled and nodded. "I love Snow," She smiled and turned to look at the teen. "I love him a lot… we want to get married some day."

Hope was shocked, his mouth hanging slightly open. "You want to marry him?" Yeah, Snow was a good man, he could get on his nerves sometimes but he was certainly good. What shocked him the most was that Serah was a _princess _and Snow was her _knight. _"But he's…"

"Not royalty?" She laughed softly. "I don't care, I've never cared," Serah smiled at him and reached out to pat his head. "When you love someone you don't care about anything else. You just want to be together with them."

Hope blinked. She was right, he loved Lightning for who she was, not her rank…

"Serah," He murmured under his breath as the princess removed her hand from his head. "Can I ask you something…?" The prince asked a bit uneasily to the princess next to him.

Ever since Noctis told him he should leave, he couldn't look at Lightning in the eye. He felt terrible for avoiding her like this, and he knew she had noticed already. It only worsened his guilt knowing that she was probably worrying about him.

"Of course you can," Serah smiled. She was still young but she was mature enough to know that something was bothering the young prince. And it was quite obvious that something had to do with her elder sister. "What is it?"

"Well… it's about Light."

"That much I could tell," She murmured and leaned on her elbow. "Care to elaborate?"

"Well…" He hummed. "I love her." Hope murmured.

Serah raised a brow. "That's not what's bothering you, is it?" She asked a bit perplexed.

"No, no… it's just that," He groaned. "You know what they say… that people in love do unimaginable things for the ones they love, right?"

"Go on…" Serah frowned.

"I'm leaving." Hope sighed and averted his eyes.

There was a pregnant silence.

"What?" Serah asked finally with a big frown. "What do you mean you're leaving?"

"I'll go back to Pulse… without Light," Hope frowned and kept his eyes glued to the table. "If I leave… there won't be a need to fight anymore, she won't put her life in danger and—" Hope tried to explain but was cut off by the sound of Serah's hand slamming against the table.

"Don't even think about that!" Serah almost screamed.

Hope's eyes winded as he turned to look at the princess. In all the time he had spent here, he had never heard Serah raise her voice.

"How could that thought even cross your mind?" Serah sounded slightly desperate. "Do you even know how Light would react if you told her that?"

"But it's for the best!" Hope defended himself. "If I'm not here then there will be no need to fight! I don't want Light to endanger her life because of me!"

Serah shook her head furiously and stood up. "You have no idea what you're saying, Light would…" She took a deep breath to try and calm down. "She'd be devastated if you just left like that, especially now that she loves you Hope!"

"And I love her too!" Hope frowned, she could feel a familiar sting in the corner of his eyes, but refused to let the tears form. "I love her with all my being and that's exactly why I'm leaving!" He said between agitated breaths. "I can't stand the thought of her getting hurt because of me!"

Serah frowned. "You're giving my sister too little credit," She said. "You don't really know her."

Hope felt a slight pang of pain and he wasn't sure if it was because of Serah's comment or his still healing wound.

"She wouldn't let you leave without her; she wouldn't even let _you _leave." She sighed and sat down again. "Think about it Hope, I'm sure you know what her reaction will be, right?"

Hope frowned again and fisted his hands. "I just don't want her to fight," He said under his breath. "I'm too scared… I'd rather die myself that lose her."

"You're being selfish," Serah said, much calmer now. "Hope… you're not really thinking about protecting her, you're thinking about running away because you're afraid to get hurt."

Hope remained quiet. Was that true? Was he being a selfish coward?

"If you really love her, you'd want to fight alongside her."

It was true. Hope clenched his fists tightly and squeezed his eyes shut. That had been the reason why he had started training with Yuna, because he wanted to be stronger, because he wanted to fight alongside Lightning, because he wanted to protect her even if it meant he'd die trying.

Noctis had only made him doubt himself, doubt his love for Light.

"I will." Hope said, turning to look at Serah.

She blinked at him slightly confused.

"I'll fight alongside her, no matter what it takes."

Serah smiled at him. "Then why don't you go and tell her that?"

"I need to apologize first… for avoiding her so much." He smiled sheepishly.

"It might not seem like it, but she likes flowers." Serah said with a smile and reached to grab a rose from the vase on the table and offering it to the silveret.

"Thanks." Hope smiled at her and took the rose between his fingers.

* * *

Lightning was on her way to her room, her mind already made up. She's wake Hope up and talk to him no matter what.

"Éclair," Noctis called while catching up to her. "Wait."

Lightning blinked at the knight and stopped on her tracks. "Noct…" The nickname rolled off her tongue without even thinking, it somehow felt alien to her calling him that. It had probably been _years _since they called each other that way, no titles or alias attached. "What's wrong?"

Noctis smiled at her for a second. "When was the last time you called me that?" He murmured softly. "I can't even remember."

She sighed softly but smiled at the man. "I guess we're both to blame, right?"

"I guess," Noctis nodded and his smiled suddenly disappeared. "I have something important I want to talk to you about."

The princess frowned at him and shrugged. "So talk."

He took a deep breath and looked straight into her eyes. "I don't think… you should fight."

She rolled her eyes. "I know everyone thinks that, but you especially should know I won't change my mind about this," Lightning told him firmly. "She could try and attack Hope again, and I'm not willing to—"

"Is he so important to you?" Noctis interrupted.

Lightning stared at him wide-eyed. Noctis had _never_ raised his voice against her; he had _never_ defied her decisions. So what was different now?

She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "You know he is, _Noctis._"

He clenched his fist and looked away from her. "It's not fair," He said under his breath. "He's just a brat, he's not worthy of you."

"You have no right to say that, you don't know him." She hissed.

"But I know _you,_" He murmured and turned to look at her once more as he reached out to place his hands over her shoulders. "I've known you almost all my life… we've been together since I can remember." He said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Noct…?" Lightning frowned slightly and raised her hand to place it over Noctis' arm.

"What is it about him that makes you want to fight? What is it that makes you want to throw your life away for him?" He opened his eyes once more and stared into hers. "Why do you love him?"

"I…" Lightning was silent. She didn't really know how to answer such a loaded question. What was she supposed to say in this situation?

"Éclair," Noctis whispered. "Please don't do this." The knight murmured under his breath and brought her close to him, embracing her lovingly.

She frowned and hesitantly leaned into the touch. "…I have to."

"No, you don't," He urged. "I don't want anything or anyone to harm you." He hissed in a whisper.

"But…"

"Please Éclair, I need you." He said, tightening his embrace.

"Noct… Why?" She frowned. Lightning was completely perplexed; he had never shown this side to her in the many years they had been with each other.

"I couldn't even bear the thought of losing you," Noctis murmured and leaned slightly out of their embrace to look down at her. "I wouldn't want to live a life without you."

Lightning's eyes widened. This… couldn't be true, he… He wouldn't... No. No…

"I love you." He finally said, and leaned down to press his lips to hers lovingly.

The princess was too shocked to react, her mind blurred, she couldn't think straight. This couldn't be happening. Not her best friend. Not now of all times.

There was a gasp and the sound of something soft touching the ground.

Lightning reacted and pushed the knight away from her as she turned to look at the source of the sound. This just had to happen, didn't it? "Hope!"

The prince shook his head and stepped back. Was it all a lie? When she told him she loved him? It was all a façade all along. She had never meant those words, of course not, how could she love someone like him? A brat… when she had someone like Noctis. Someone who could protect her when in danger, someone who she wouldn't have to feel embarrassed to walk next to.

"No…" He frowned and squeezed his eyes shut as he turned around to leave.

"Wait—!" She was about to run after him when she felt a strong hold on her arm.

"Éclair please…" Noctis tried to say but was cut off by Lightning shoving him away.

"Don't!" She hissed. "Look at what you've done!" Lightning panted. She turned around and noticed the rose on the ground, she walked over to it and kneeled down to pick it up, it was already wilting… Hope had probably stepped on it while he left. She held it in her hand for a few seconds and then pressed it to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut almost painfully.

"Éclair… I…" The knight tried again.

"You've done enough…" She whispered, still kneeling on the ground.

"I'm sorry." Noctis said under his breath… It really had never been his intention to do this… He had sworn he'd never be the reason for her tears… and he had broken than oath.

Lightning shook her head silently.

"I do love you," He said, kneeling down next to her. "Éclair I love you."

"Please Noct…" She whispered, refusing to look in his eyes. "Don't do this."

He remained quiet and nodded.

"You I know I love you," Lightning said under her breath, her eyes still closed, the rose clutched tightly between her hands. "But not the same way you love me."

Noctis had known this all along. He had brought this upon himself.

"I'm so sorry." The princess whispered and slowly stood up, making her leave silently.

The knight was left alone with his thoughts. _What had he done?_


	14. Passion

Holy shit it's been forever orz.  
I'm so sorry you guys! But here it is and it's the longest chapter I've written o_o  
I like how it came out and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did when I was writing it!

* * *

Noctis' hands were shaking terribly as he held one of his many swords tightly. His eyes stared blankly at the ground as his lips silently made out the princess' name. He frowned and bit his lip, griping the sword painfully and lifting it up to shine against the moon's ethereal glow. He had sworn he would protect her. He has sworn that he'd never let her shed a tear because of him, because of _anyone_. He had failed as a knight and a friend. He didn't deserve her love or respect. He…

He didn't deserve to live.

The knight admired his sword, the one he had used so many times to protect Lightning, the one that was bestowed upon him the day he became a knight.

He placed the tip of the sword against his throat and pressed ever so slightly, one single drop of crimson liquid trickling down his neck and unto his clothes.

_Stop._

And his hands froze.

_Come to me._

Noctis lowered his sword, the grip loosened and his eyes stared up to the sky and came to a rest over the moon.

_Child._

His lips moved but no sound was heard.

_Come to me._

The knight remained quiet. That voice…

_You deserve to be loved._

That voice was…

_I will give you love._

Beautiful.

* * *

Every thought on the prince's mind was a total mess. After what he saw he couldn't possibly look at Lightning again, never again. She was a liar, she had lied to him just to keep appearances… he knew that it was too good to be true, a woman like her loving a brat like him? That was just impossible, those things did _not _happen.

That's why she was better off with Noctis, he was already a man who could take care of her in all the ways he couldn't. And it made his blood boil when he thought about all those times he told her he loved her, when she said she loved him too. They were all lies, she had deceived him, _everyone_ had deceived him and made him believe he belonged here; but it was all a façade to make everyone happy, to please the others even if it mean to sacrifice his own happiness.

Lightning had told him once, that she wasn't her real self most of the time. Hope hadn't believed in her words, he had thought that she was just overreacting, that she was just telling him those things to throw him off…

Hope had thought she said those things to see if he would leave or stay by her side, and now that he thought about it, Lightning had probably meant for him to leave so she could be free to be with Noctis.

He had accepted this, even before the wedding he knew that he'd probably never find true love in an arranged marriage, no matter what his mother said; of course she'd try to make him feel better with those phony words, but he was no fool, he might be young but he wasn't as naïve as many took him to be. Maybe he was only fourteen but he had a fairly good idea of what love was supposed to be.

He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the hem of his robe tightly. He had ran without thinking and the wound on his chest had opened a bit, a small red spot stained Hope's white attire, but he couldn't really tell if the throbbing in his chest was due to the bleeding or the betrayal.

A sigh left his lips as he looked up to stare at the big wooden doors before him; he had somehow ended up in front of Yuna's room. They had grown very close in the past days since he had spent the majority of the day with her and Lulu training, they had become really good friends probably due the fact that she was only two years older than him. He couldn't possibly wake her up, it was already late and he didn't want to be a nuisance after everything Yuna had done for him.

He was about to turn around and leave when the doors creaked open. He was startled but then sighed in relief when he saw Yuna's head peeking out.

"Hope?" She called quietly.

The prince blinked a bit surprised. "Did you know I was here?"

She nodded and opened the door for him to come in.

"How?"

"I can feel everyone in the castle, because of my perception of magic." She smiled at him and made her way back to her bed after closing the door and climbing on the mattress whilst crossing her legs to sit comfortably.

Hope made a small 'o' and walked over the bed, climbing as well and mimicked Yuna.

"You're bleeding," Yuna gasped softly with a worried expression. "How did that happen?"

"Oh…" Hope frowned and placed a hand over the red stain. "I was running and I guess the wound opened."

Yuna sighed and shook her head lightly, placing her hand over Hope's wound as a faint green glow covered her fingers.

Hope shivered slightly but felt instant relief when the pain disappeared completely. "Thank you."

"No problem," She smiled. "Did something happen? You seemed pretty worried just now."

The prince averted his eyes and glued his gaze to the mattress. "Lightning." He said bitterly, not even bothering to use her nickname.

Yuna frowned and titled her head to the side. "What happened now? It couldn't have been that bad."

"It was," Hope hissed and gritted his teeth as his fist connected with the mattress. "She lied to me!"

The princess' eyes widened at Hope's sudden outburst, he was usually so calm it came as a surprise to her. "What happened?" She asked once more.

"She was pretty friendly with Noctis just now."

This caught Yuna's attention. She had always known about the knight's feelings for her sister but she also knew Lightning didn't feel the same way about him. "I'm sure you just misunderstood, they're really close friends and—"

"Do really close friends kiss all the time?" He hissed, still not looking at Yuna.

She was silent and then frowned. "What?"

"I asked you if really good friends kiss," He said under his breath and finally turned to look at Yuna, tears of frustration in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall, he was much too proud for that. "Because they were kissing just now in the corridor."

Yuna frowned and cast her eyes downwards. "That… that can't be possible," She murmured under her breath. "Maybe you got things wrong!"

"I saw it clearly, with my own eyes!" Hope hissed as his fist connected with the mattress. He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head; he tried calming down but to no avail.

"Hope…" Yuna sighed softly and placed a hand on the silveret's shoulder and looked at his sadly when she noticed he was shaking.

"I did nothing but love her with all my heart… why would she lie to me like this?" He whispered. "I… I even…" He muttered, his voice shaking whilst his hand reached to his chest where his wound was, he gripped the stained fabric and remained quiet.

Yuna frowned slightly and inched closer to the shaking prince; she ran a delicate hand through the silvery locks and patted his head softly. "Hope…" She sighed and reached out to warp her arms around his shoulders.

It was times like this when you felt that no matter how much you tried you wouldn't be able to keep your tears to yourself anymore, that the overwhelming feelings were much more powerful than your will. Hope felt like that right this instant, so there was no other choice but let his tears fall. He shook his head, stubborn; he didn't want to cry like this, especially not in front of Yuna.

"It's ok if you cry, Hope," Yuna murmured and hugged him tightly. "It's ok if you feel sad or angry." She said in a loving tone, trying to comfort the other.

"Why would she lie to me?"

"Maybe it was a misunderstanding," Yuna said hopefully, she knew her sister; she wouldn't do something like this without a good reason. "It probably was, you need to talk to her."

Hope's eyes remained glued to the mattress and he bit his lip, some tears still running down his cheeks. "I… I'm afraid," He admitted quietly. "I'm afraid that if I talk to her it'll be true… that she never loved me."

Yuna opened her mouth to speak but decided against it. It was natural that Hope felt this insecure, he had always felt kind of uncomfortable with all of this arranged marriage even if he did fall in love with the princess.

"But what if it really was a misunderstanding?" Yuna tried to convince the other. "Would you really risk losing her?" She was certain that Lightning loved Hope just as much as he loved her, there was no way she'd be lying to him, especially about her relationship with Noctis.

"It still doesn't make me less afraid." He said quietly.

Yuna placed a hand on his cheek and made him look at her. "Hope," She said softly. "You have to talk to her, you'll never be happy if you keep running away from your problems… you have to face them head on and maybe everything will better," She shook her head. "No… I'm certain things will be better."

Hope remained quiet and averted his eyes from Yuna's uneven ones. "…Y-you're right," He murmured to himself. "Thank you." He smiled at her and climbed off the princess' bed.

"Listen to her; I'm sure there was a reason behind everything."

"I will." He nodded and turned to leave.

"Hope!" She called for him before he exited the room, then lowered her eyes slightly. "Please… don't hate Noctis, ok?"

Hope didn't turn around but nodded. "I'll… try." And with that he left.

Yuna sighed and leaned back in her pillows. She knew exactly what had happened, it was obvious that Noctis wasn't able to contain his feelings anymore, Lightning would never even think about the knight that way, she loved him too much but just as a brother. And perhaps Lightning's behavior was what had pushed the man to do what he did.

And even if she knew that Noctis would never mean to cause any harm to her sister. A man in love was dangerous.

She closed her eyes and hoped with all her might that things would work out between all of them… but something in the bottom of her heart told her that something wasn't right.

That something bad was going to happen.

* * *

Lightning sat quietly in her room; her eyes remained glued to the wilted rose on the table, Hope had probably brought it with him to give it as a gift to her… and what had she repaid him with?

She had hurt him badly even if she had never meant to do it, but she couldn't blame Noctis either, he had meant to harm… she knew he would never even think about hurting her on purpose. Lightning had always known about the knight's feelings, but she was never able to love him the same way he did.

She had tried, she had really tried loving him more than a brother, but when she realized she would never love him the same way, Lightning decided she'd act oblivious to his feelings, as long as they both kept their distance it would be ok for everyone, no one would get hurt and they could still be together like they had always been.

But she knew those days would not last forever, the day her parents told her she was getting married, Noctis became distant, of course she knew why and perhaps she thought it'd would be better that way.

When she met Hope for the first time she never imagined she'd really end up loving him, a boy so much younger than her. A boy that eventually became so important to her.

Now she had hurt two of the most important people in her life, two people whom she loved with all her heart. She didn't know what she should do, things with Noctis would probably never be the same ever again and Hope would never forgive her after this.

She knew that the prince had always been insecure about their relationship and now that he had seen Noctis and her together he was probably imagining the worse and she didn't blame him. Lightning had come to know him in the months they had spent together and she knew for sure he was distraught and full of doubts.

She sighed and buried her face between her hands. She needed to explain things to Hope, let him know that her feelings for him were really even if her actions sometimes said the opposite… In reality she wasn't much of an affectionate person overall and when your significant other was as young as the prince was it was even harder for her to show she really did love him.

Maybe it wasn't just Hope who was struggling with himself in this relationship, maybe she was struggling too without even knowing, because deep down she wanted to be closer to Hope, too. She wanted them to be more _intimate, _but something in the back of her head screamed at her to stop whenever they tried, because she knew Hope was still much too young for that and it felt almost wrong.

Lightning knew they were married, she knew they could be intimate without people whispering behind their backs, but she still thought it was… it wasn't really _wrong, _but she felt confused whenever she thought about this kind of things involving Hope.

Still she never regretted marrying him, because despite all the issues their marriage had, she was happy. This was the happiest she had been in a very, very long time and it was all thanks to Hope, he had brought something different to her life and for that she was very thankful. He had proven to be someone she w_anted_ to spend the rest of her days with.

She sighed and leaned further down until her forehead touched her knees.

The princess wanted to let him know all this, all of her thoughts and feelings. She wanted to let him know that she had never loved someone the way she loved him.

"Lightning?"

The woman flinched and immediately sat up straight; she hadn't even heard the door opening. "Hope!" She called almost out of breath and stood up.

He averted his eyes from her and kept his distance. "I…"

"No," She spoke softly. "Let me explain, please."

Hope remained quiet and nodded; he was going to listen just like Yuna had asked him to.

"Listen," She started and gripped the fabric of her dress. "What you saw earlier in the corridor was a misunderstanding."

Hope frowned and kept his eyes glued to the floor. "Really?" He sounded skeptical, but decided to keep quiet again.

"Yes!" She urged. "Noctis said he loved me, he kissed me it's true," She admitted. "But I never returned his feelings, I never kissed him back."

"I saw you both really happy back there though!" Hope hissed and finally locked eyes with the princess. "How can I believe what you say? How can I be sure that you're not lying?"

"Because I love you!" Lightning yelled back. "I love you more than anything or anyone, Hope!"

He was taken by surprise by that, he had never expected such a straightforward answer. "Are you telling me the truth?" He frowned. "I… I don't know what to think anymore…" The prince was shaking. "Noctis is so much better than me; he's everything that I'm not."

"I have never loved someone the way I love you!" She said and started walking closer to the silveret. "Hope, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, by your side," Lightning said, her voice much calmer now. "Believe me."

"I can't give you what he can, he's already a man and I'm nothing more than a brat, I can't protect you, I… I can't even make you m-mine." The last part almost a whisper, it was embarrassing to even _think_ about it.

"Hope," Lightning frowned and warped her arms around her shoulders, pulling him closer in a tight hug. "You're fine just the way you are, I wouldn't have you any other way." She reassured him.

Hope sighed and raised his arms to warp them around her waist, embracing her as tight as he could. He buried his face in her chest as a small blush covered his cheeks, it felt so intimate to be hugging her like this because of his height he couldn't help it.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you, I never meant to do it," She whispered and ran her hand through his hair. "Forgive me."

"No…" He shook his head. "I should be the one apologizing," He frowned and hugged her tighter. "I had so many bad thoughts; I doubted you and everything you had ever said."

"You had a reason to," Lightning murmured. "I understand."

"I'm sorry for doubting your words… it's just that… I still find it so hard to believe that you love _me._" He admitted shyly.

Lightning smiled down at him and tilted his head up with one hand. "I do love you," She said in a soft, gentle voice. "And I want to be yours."

Hope's eyes widened slightly as his blush deepened tenfold. "I-I…" He slurred and averted his eyes slightly. He hadn't expected that to come out from her lips.

"And I want you to be mine as well." She said and leaned down to press her lips to his softly.

The prince squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the back of Lightning's dress slightly, he stood in his tiptoes and tried deepening the kiss but found it to be incredibly hard when she was standing. He huffed softly and broke the kiss.

"Hope?" Lightning frowned.

He said nothing and took her arm; pulling her towards the bed and making her sit down.

She started at him with disbelief and then blinked when he pushed her down.

"I don't like it when you're obviously taller than me," He huffed and climbed up the bed, straddling her with his legs. "It makes me feel even smaller." Hope muttered and leaned down to kiss her again.

Lightning smiled into the kiss and warped her arms around Hope's neck to pull him closer.

He sighed softly and massaged their lips together; Hope ran his hand over her cheek and over her neck. He sighed and broke the kiss for a moment to look at her. She had to be the most beautiful woman alive.

"What's wrong?" She murmured and kept her arms around his shoulders to keep him from getting farther from her.

"You're so beautiful," He smiled at her and ran the tip of his fingers over her clavicle and shoulder, lowering her dress' strap on that side, then leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to that spot.

Lightning let out a small breath and tangled her fingers in Hope's hair.

The prince hummed softly and kissed the spot again before running his lips up to her neck once more and nipping the skin lovingly.

She sighed softly and threw her head back slightly to grant the other better access. Whatever insecurities or doubts she had before had completely melted by now, this moment was only theirs and she was happy, she was feeling so good, so complete.

"I love you, Light…" Hope murmured under his breath and leaned up to stare at her, running the back of his hand lovingly over her cheek.

"I love you, too." She smiled up at him and pressed her hand to his cheek as well.

He closed his eyes briefly and leaned into her touch before smiling down at her and running his hand down her chest softly, feeling every inch of her as he went, he could feel her shivering a bit under his hand and felt his heartbeat speeding up.

Lightning closed her eyes and gripped the fabric of Hope's shirt, pulling it slightly up with nervous hands, revealing some of the prince's back and abdomen.

Hope bit his lip and averted her eyes from her face; the expression she was making was too much for him to bear as he felt his body heating up quickly. He ran his hand down her leg and pulled the princess' dress up, revealing the skin that no man had ever seen before. The prince ran shaky fingers over the soft skin of her thigh and swallowed audibly.

He was so nervous he felt he could die right there.

Lightning gasped softly and arched her back slightly leaning into the touch subconsciously. She let out a heavy breath and pulled Hope's shirt over his head and threw it to the floor.

Hope's breath hitched and felt slightly more embarrassed than usual, even if she had seen him shirtless before, this was different, it felt so much more intimate and special.

"Light…" He murmured huskily and leaned down to press his lips to her once more.

She hugged him close and ran her hands over his back. "Hope." Lightning whispered into the kiss and pressed their chests together.

Hope groaned softly and could already feel the tightening feeling in his stomach, it was almost unbearable. He breathed heavily and pulled Lightning's dress higher and higher until it reached just below her breasts, the prince froze, he was too nervous to move.

"Go on." Lightning murmured and placed her hands atop Hope's own. She smiled and pulled the dress over her head, leaving her only in her underwear.

The prince averted his eyes as he _felt_ his face turning a dark shade of red. "I-I…"

"Hope… it's ok." She smiled at him and took his hand in hers, guiding it over her abdomen and chest. This was something completely new for him and Lightning knew that

He was shaking slightly, he didn't even know if it was due the embarrassment or excitement anymore.

Lightning smiled again and helped him remove her underwear slowly, leaving her bare before him. She heard his breath hitch at the sight and had to admit she was embarrassed as well, no one had ever seen her like this before; she was just as new to this as him.

"I-I'm not sure what I should do," He admitted quietly as his eyes took the sight before him. "I'm nervous."

"So am I," Lightning tried reassuring the other. "Let me..." She murmured and reached for Hope's waist to pull his pants down. She felt the other flinch slightly but proceeded and pulled the piece of clothing down till it reached his knees. The princess decided to avert her eyes so Hope wouldn't be as nervous.

Hope tried saying something but his words came out as an incoherent mumble. He blushed darker —if it was even possible— and discarded his pants, letting them fall with the rest of their clothes to the ground.

She smiled and pulled him down for another kiss. Their chests brushed together and a small groan came from Hope's lips.

Hope let instinct guide him as he pushed his hips against hers, causing them both to moan into the kiss and arch their backs slightly.

"Hope…" She groaned softly and threw her head back pulling him closer as he did so.

They let passion take over their bodies as the night went, giving themselves to the other completely, body and soul, in a loving embrace.

* * *

"Come, child," A beautiful woman called from her throne. "Come to me."

Noctis walked forward, gripping his sword with one hand subconsciously; his eyes dull and lost in the distance.

She held her arms open as he stumbled in them, kneeling before her and leaning his cheek and arms over her lap. His sword fell to the ground with a loud noise that echoed through the manor, then silence.

"I will give you the love you desire," Ultimecia smiled down at the man and ran her fingers through dark locks. "If you promise to be my knight."

"Yes…" He murmured under his breath. "I will."

* * *

I'm a bitch I know :/


	15. Truth

Has it really been two months? I'm so sorryyyy ;-;  
I had a terrible writer's block and you know how bad those can be. I've also been busy with college and shit |:  
I can't promise I'll update soon but I'll try haha.

Also, I feel like this chapter sucks for some reason. Idk.  
Try and enjoy it regardless xD

* * *

Lightning stirred in her sleep slightly, feeling a cold breeze against her shoulder and pulling the covers tightly around her body. A groan left her lips as she tried getting into a more comfortable position then flinching slightly at a small jab in her abdomen.

She opened her eyes and blinked. She was _sore._ A dark red color spread across her face quickly as the memories of last night filled her mind. Hope had…

A small noise came from her mouth and she curled up slightly, covering her head completely with the sheets. This was more embarrassing that she thought it would be. Yes, she had been the one to encourage Hope to go on but she wasn't thinking straight, she got caught in the moment and…

And she wanted it to happen.

It made her even more embarrassed admitting that. Hope was so… so _young._ It still didn't feel quite right. _But it felt so right last night… _she shook her head. No! Those were bad thoughts!

She sighed softly as her head finally emerged from the white sheets only to be hit by the realization that her husband wasn't next to her. Perhaps it was better, that way she didn't have to look all flustered in front of him. It wasn't like her.

She frowned slightly and sat up, wincing slightly at the soreness and covering herself with the sheets. Where could he be? It was usually her who woke up early.

Lightning dismissed it and flung her legs off the side of the bed, standing up and walking to her private bathroom. She could use a warm bath right now.

* * *

Hope's breathing was steady; he squinted his eyes and pulled the string with his index and middle finger. His eyes were trained on the target before him; he could barely make out the center due the distance. He slid one foot back as the other stayed put on its spot. His shoulders stiffened and relaxed whilst his fingers held the string tightly. The tip of the arrow touched the side of his finger and he frowned.

"You need to concentrate." Lulu spoke from his side, leaning over his shoulder and looking at the target as well.

The silveret nodded once.

"Breathe, and let it flow from your arm into the bow, then the arrow." She said while taking several steps back.

Hope let out a long breath and closed his eyes briefly. His mind blank and then—

The arrow flew across the yard with a buzzing sound; suddenly the only thing that could be seen was a red flash in the air.

The flaming arrow hit the target and caused it to consume until only ashes were left. It was hard to tell now that it was destroyed, but Hope was one hundred percent sure he had hit the center.

There was a smug smile on his face while he crossed his arms over his chest, balancing the bow between his fingers. "How was that?"

"You're a fast learner," Lulu acknowledged. "I'm proud."

The prince smiled at the woman and walked close to her. Lulu was a great teacher, she was strict at the beginning but it was obvious she was a good person, especially if she was Yuna's guardian. "I'm happy," Hope sighed contently. "This way I'll be able to protect Lightning and not the other way around."

The woman smiled as she looked at the boy from behind her bangs, she nodded and patted Hope's head. "You'll be a great man one day, your highness."

Hope pouted. "I thought I told you not to call me that."

"Yes, yes of course." She laughed under her breath and cradled her womb carefully.

Hope had only leaned recently that she was married, it surprised him a bit, but then again it was obvious if you thought about it, Lulu was a very beautiful, powerful and intelligent woman.

"When is Wakka coming back?" The prince asked, his eyes glued to her slightly swollen stomach.

"Whenever he can," She smiled. "He needs to keep the kingdom safe, he's a good soldier."

The prince hummed as his eyes peered at the burnt target for a while. "…I don't know how you do it."

"What do you mean?"

"Being apart from him for so long… I don't know if I could live without Light by my side," He sighed. "Don't you miss him?"

Lulu smiled. "Of course I do," She looked at the other with warm eyes. "I miss him every second of the day, but just knowing that he misses me too is enough to give me strength."

Hope decided then that Lulu was his heroine.

* * *

"Mother, you need to stop this," A raven-haired man spoke sternly. "This is not what I want."

The woman laughed softly under her breath. "It's not about what you want, my dear," Ultimecia smiled. "It's about what's best for us."

"I don't want this," He frowned. "I won't accept it."

"Cid," the sorceress sighed and leaned back in her throne. "You don't really have a choice," Her eyes sharpened. "You will do as your mother says."

He lowered his eyes and took a step back. "But—"

"Your mother has spoken," Noctis called from behind him, stepping closer to the other. The knight walked past Cid and stood in front of Ultimecia, kneeling down in front of her and taking her hand in his to kiss her knuckles. "You should listen to her."

"My dear Noctis," The sorceress hummed and looked down at the other. "I knew you'd understand my ideals." She said, running her fingers over the knight's jaw.

"Of course, Mistress." He nodded and leaned into the touch with hazy eyes.

Cid frowned at the other man and promptly turned around, walking out the room furiously. He knew his word meant nothing to his mother. She was only thirsty for power… she had always desired to have more than she could.

And now that she had that… that _dog_ following her around and yielding to her every command and desire, it was even harder for him to try and go against her. Even if he did, Ultimecia would not hesitate to eliminate him from her way, even if it was her own flesh and blood.

He knew he had to do something, but what? His power alone would not be enough to put a stop to the sorceress.

Unless…

* * *

Lightning passed through the corridors of the castle, she still hadn't seen Hope that mornfing and she was kind of grateful for that, it was still slightly embarrassing for her when the memories flooded back, so she thought she might as well get some alone time to 'relax' as her father had suggested a day prior in one of the meetings.

She walked in the general direction of the dungeon, she should at least visit her friend there, Kuja was not someone who enjoyed being left alone for a long time and really, she held no grudges against the sorcerer. He had done what he did for a reason, and the princess had to admit she would have done the same if she was in his situation.

Fighting for love was what she was doing after all.

The princess walked past two guards as they bowed their heads in greeting, she descended the stairs slowly as the light became dimmer. She frowned slightly; Kuja should be here, it wasn't his style. She snickered slightly at the thought and kept walking, then came to a halt in front of one of the bigger cells.

"Kuja?" She called softly, her hand reaching to hold one bar.

A groan was heard from inside and then some ruffling of sheets. "Light?"

She smiled and called for a guard to open the cell for her, then stepping inside. "You're still asleep? It's already late."

Kuja snickered groggily and sat up slowly, trying to tame his messy hair. "It's hard to tell when it's daytime when you're down here." He joked and smiled at the other.

"I can tell." She chuckled and ran a hand through lavender strands, helping her friend with the tangles of hair.

"How is he doing?" He asked, guilt could be heard dripping from his voice.

"He's doing pretty well," Lightning nodded. "He has plenty of energy…" She hummed and then chuckled, the slightest tinge of pink colored her cheeks when she remembered last night, enough to be noticed if the light wasn't so dim.

"That's good to hear," Kuja sighed. "I'm really sorry, about everything."

Lightning shook her head. "I understand why you did it…" She frowned. "I would have probably done the same was I in your place."

"It still doesn't change what I did, Light I—"

The princess sighed loudly, cutting the other off. "Stop it, Kuja," She smiled slightly. "It's all good, now come on, get up."

The man threw her a perplexed look and tilted his head to the side. "What for?"

"I told my father I didn't want you down here," She explained. "Of course he said it was ok."

Kuja let out a long breath and cast his eyes downwards. "Light I-I…"

"Come on." She smiled and extended her hand to her friend.

The sorcerer took it gladly.

* * *

Hope sat cross-legged on the grass of his favorite garden; the one Light was so fond of. He breathed softly, in and out, his eyes closed. He needed to concentrate; he could feel the warmth in his chest, the power flowing within him.

He hummed softly and opened his eyes just the slightest to stare down at his hands. A soft orange glow covered his fingertips; he raised his hands and started drawing random patterns in the air, leaving thin red lines which quickly ignited and formed a vivid flame.

Lulu had told him it was the best way to control his magic, to use it and command it to do whatever he wanted. _Magic is an art meant for beautiful things, not only for war._ She had taught him. She was wise and caring, he couldn't have asked for a better mentor.

He smiled at the sight of his creation, it almost looked like—

"Hope!"

The prince jumped on his spot startled as the fire grew bigger before it completely vanished, he sighed softly and closed his eyes, standing up and turning around to face Lightning with a smile.

"Good morning, Light."

"I was looking for you earlier," The princess walked close to him and smiled. "What were you doing?"

Hope shook his head slightly. "I woke up early and just wanted to take a walk, I didn't want to wake you up, you looked really comfortable."

"Ah," Light nodded and averted her eyes slightly. Was it really just her that was feeling slightly embarrassed? "Thanks."

In fact, Hope was just as nervous, if not more, but he had decided that he needed to change; it was his duty to stand alongside Lightning, not beneath her shadow. He smiled to himself and reached to hold the princess' hand in his own, pulling at it slightly. "Can I get a good morning kiss?" He murmured softly, the smallest blush appearing over his cheeks.

Lightning blinked and smiled, her cheeks turning a color similar to Hope's. She nodded and leaned down to press her lips to the other's lovingly. It was a simple kiss, but it was enough to let them know just how much they meant to each other.

They broke the kiss and she leaned back. "Good morning." She said with a smile.

He chuckled softly and squeezed her hand. "Did you have breakfast already?"

"Not yet," She shook her head. "I was looking for you so we could eat together."

"Sorry," Hope smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. "I guess I lost track of time today."

"I still can't believe you woke up so early," Lightning murmured softly, tugging at his hand as they started walking towards the dining hall. "It usually me who's up first."

The prince hummed and then snickered softly. "You were pretty tired after last night," He said with a tiny blush. "I guess it's understandable."

Lightning made a small noise and bit her lip. Did he really just joke about that? Was she actually more embarrassed than him? She was the one who always emphasized on their age gap and…

And perhaps it was her who wasn't ready for this. Maybe she was too young at heart, too stubborn. She chuckled slightly to herself and shook her head.

"I-I guess I was." Was the only thing she could muster up as a response without sounding too embarrassed.

Hope chuckled and shook his head, squeezing her hand slightly as they entered the dining room. The prince spotted Vanille and Fang at the far end of the table laughing merrily as the guardian poked the young princess with what appeared to be a breadstick.

And across from them was… Hope frowned slightly, he had never seen that person before, and for a minute he wondered if it was a man or a woman. Long lavender hair and an unusually revealing outfit. He really couldn't help but stare for a bit and feel slightly embarrassed.

"Good morning!" Vanille chirped from her seat, Fang took the opportunity and shoved the breadstick in the redhead's mouth, earning a disgruntled sound from her.

Kuja turned to look at the couple and his eyes instantly fell on the boy. His blue orbs widened slightly as he stared, fear and guilt evident in his eyes.

Lightning noticed Hope's eyes on the other and took a small breath in. "That's Kuja," She murmured. "He's—"

"Your friend," He said, his eyes still on the man. "The one who attacked me."

The princess nodded and hesitated a bit when Hope's hand left hers to walk towards Kuja.

The sorcerer stiffened slightly in his seat before standing up shakily to face the prince, he kneeled down in front of him and bowed his head low until it touched the floor, his hands placed firmly on the ground. "Your highness!" He said nervously, his voice shaking terribly. "Please forgive me!"

Hope blinked down at him as a small smiled sprawled on his lips. He kneeled down in front of the man and placed his hand on his shoulder.

Kuja stiffened slightly and then relaxed. "I-I…" He stuttered.

"It's nice to meet you," Hope said softly, squeezing Kuja's shoulder. "Light told me about you."

Kuja blinked and looked up at the prince, still crouching on the floor, what appeared to be tears glimmering in the corner of his eyes. "Your highness…"

Hope shook his head. "No formalities, call me Hope," He smiled and removed his hand from Kuja's shoulder, instead placing it atop one of the other's own, squeezing it and standing up, pulling the sorcerer with him. "After all, you're my wife's friend." The prince laughed softly.

Kuja wobbly stood up and looked down at the prince with a dumfounded expression on his face, he then turned to look at Lightning with a confused look. She just smiled and shrugged. It really didn't come as a surprise to her, Hope had a kind heart, he wasn't one to hold grudges against anyone.

"Your highness, I'm so sorry for everything." Kuja murmured, his head low.

"I thought I told you to call me Hope," He sighed softly. "There is nothing to forgive, Kuja."

The sorcerer kept his eyes downcast. "Still, what I did was wrong, and I—"

"You're forgiven then," Hope smiled. "Did you have breakfast already?" Kuja shook his head. "Then eat with us." The prince offered and led him to a chair next to his.

Lightning smiled at the two and sighed contently. She was so happy to have met someone like Hope, she was grateful fate had given her such a wonderful person as a companion. She walked behind her husband and sat next to him, letting him speak with Kuja until the sorcerer opened up to him, getting past his anxiousness and guilt.

Everything would be so perfect if it weren't for the sorceress that proved to be such a great threat not only to her kingdom, but to Hope as well. She'd never be able to forgive herself is something happened to him or anyone close to her.

* * *

Yuna opened her eyes when a ray of sunlight leaked though her curtains. She groaned softly and rolled under her covers. It felt especially comfortable this morning, perhaps because she wasn't able to sleep too well last night after Hope had left her room.

There was something about everything that had happened that left her with a bad feeling, it was like something wasn't _right._ Something was out of place, something was _missing_ and she wasn't really sure what it was.

It felt like something really important was gone and it made her feel anxious. She sighed softly and curled up some. It had been a long time since she felt so uneasy about something and it made her uncomfortable. Perhaps if she knew what was wrong she could try and fix it and everything could go back to normal. Yuna frowned and let out a long breath.

"Good morning, Yuna." Lulu called as she opened the door with a smile.

"Lulu," The princess called softly. "Have you noticed anything weird in the castle?"

The sorceress blinked. "What's with the sudden question?"

"I don't know," Yuna shrugged while sitting up and leaning back in her pillows. "I have a bad feeling, and you know how accurate those usually are."

Lulu hummed and placed her hand beneath her chin. "Not really," She said, deep in thought. "Everything seemed normal to me… the only thing is that your sister let Kuja out of the dungeon; when I walked by the dining room everyone was having breakfast together, Hope seemed to be warming up to Kuja real fast… or maybe was it the other way around?" She laughed softly at the last sentence.

Yuna nodded. "It seems like Light to let him out, he's her childhood friend," She said and crossed her arms over her chest. "How did Noctis take it anyhow?"

The woman remained silent for a while. "Now that you mention it, Noctis wasn't there."

"But Noctis is always—"And that's when it hit her. Of course! If she knew Noctis well enough it was obvious, he'd be feeling guilty after the mess he caused between Hope and Light and who knows what he'd do. Yuna's eyes widened slightly. He…

The young princess closed her eyes and concentrated hard, her breathing slow and calm, she had to find him, he had to be here— Her eyes opened slowly and she turned to look at her guardian. "Lulu…" She said under her breath, a worried look on her face. "He's not here."

"What do you mean he's not here?" She asked, startled. "How could he have disappeared?"

"He didn't disappear," Yuna frowned and gripped her sheets tightly between her fingers. "He left on his own." She whispered.

"Why would he do that?" Lulu hummed and crossed her eyes. "…Betrayal?"

"Don't even think about it," Yuna sighed and shook her head. "Last night…" She started and looked down. "Hope came over to my room, he was really distraught because he saw something he shouldn't have," She pursed her lips. "Because of that he had a fight with Light and… it was Noctis' fault."

Lulu didn't need to ask any further, she knew exactly what that meant. "So you mean… he ran away?"

"But it still doesn't seem like him," Yuna frowned. "I don't get it; I mean… he isn't that kind of man, I've known him all my life." She sighed and leaned back into her pillows. "What am I supposed to tell Lightning?"

The sorceress averted her eyes from the princess and let out a long breath. "We need to tell her the truth."

The princess sighed. "But do we really know the truth?" She hummed. "He could have left for any other reason, we're not certain."

"We'll just tell her he left," Lulu murmured softly. "If she asks why we'll just tell her we don't know the reason."

Yuna looked at her guardian and nodded. "I wish I knew where he went, so I could try and bring him back," She groaned and sat on the edge of the bed. "I don't want to worry her… I'm sure she has a lot on her mind and this will only add to the stress."

"Then what do you want to do?"

The young princess lowered her eyes, she didn't dare look at the woman. "Should we… lie to her?"

Lulu remained silent for a while. "Perhaps it would be best for now, until she's more calm about all that's happening," She said. "We just need to tell her a good reason of why her knight left without telling her."

"I'll think of something," Yuna nodded and stood up wobbly. Lulu walked next to her and led her to the cabinet where she kept her staff. "You know how she is when she gets worried, we can't afford that right now."

The sorceress knew that Yuna was right; Lightning was a calm person when the situation required it, but when people close to her were involved she had a change of attitude that wasn't always good. It was better if she didn't know the truth right now.

But just _what_ was the truth?

* * *

Cid tightened his grip on the reins of his wyvern as the wind hit his face, the altitude making the air colder than it really was. He knew that if he did this he'd become his mother's enemy, he frowned, there was no turning back now.

But he knew that it was the right thing to do, even if he loved his mother he couldn't turn a blind eye to what she wanted to do. The kingdom would fall to pieces if he didn't stop her, House Raines was already shameful as it was, he had to protect whatever honor it had left in his father's memory.

There was a time when Ultimecia had been a loving mother, a time when they were a happy family. But those days seemed far away now. He longed for those times; he wished he could go back in time when his mother would hug him whenever he got a bruise, when she would encourage him when he felt like he couldn't accomplish something.

Cid frowned, a determined look on his face. He had to do it even if it meant losing her forever.


	16. Will

What is this, an update?

IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD.

Short chapter because I felt like it should be, like, I tried making it longer but it just didn't work out. *shrug*

I'll go hide under a rock now because I feel like the worst writer in the history of forever haha.

* * *

A commotion ensued at the main gate of the castle. The clanking of armor resounded through the halls as the soldiers ran to the entrance. In the distance, the growl of a wyvern could be heard.

Lightning frowned at the noise and stood up from her resting place on her bed. They had retreated to their chambers after their meal and she had foolishly thought they could get some peace after all that had been going on.

"What's the matter?" Hope murmured groggily and rolled slightly, the sheets tangling around one of his legs.

"I don't know," She frowned and ran a hand through her hair. "I'll go see what's going on." The princess said and walked to the door.

"I'll go with you." Hope murmured and stood up wobbly, walking up next to her and taking her hand tightly, intertwining their fingers together.

They walked quickly through the halls and the commotion only became louder and louder as they approached.

"You have to let me through!"

Lightning blinked and stopped, she knew that voice, she knew who that was. The princess hesitated for a bit and then continued walking.

This didn't go unnoticed by Hope who only threw her a glance over his shoulder but decided to keep quiet. He'd know what was going on soon enough.

"I need to speak to Princess Éclair!"

"What do you need to talk to me so urgently about, Cid?" Lightning spoke firmly, he hand tightening slightly around Hope's own.

The soldiers stopped trying to retain the man and stepped aside to let the princess through. They bowed their heads in her –_their_— direction and one, Hope assumed he was the one in charge, came walking towards them.

Cid straightened his robes and remained silent.

"Your majesties, we will take care of this, please don't worry about—"

"You're treating Lord Raines with disrespect," Lightning told him and shook her head disapprovingly. "You should consult me or the King before doing rash actions like these."

"P-Princess…"

"Cid is a friend of mine, you know that."

"B-But after the incident we thought—"

"You thought wrong."

Hope blinked up at his wife and loosened his grip on her hand. He had never… seen her like this. She was always so calm and polite to her servants. He slowly let his hand fall to his side as his eyes landed on the man before them, his insecurities resurfacing once more.

"Écl—" Cid started but stopped short when the princess threw him a sharp glance. "Lightning." He corrected himself.

"Cid," She nodded. "Let's go to a quieter place to talk, shall we?"

Cid nodded and stepped forward, bowing his head slightly at Hope in greeting. "Your majesty." He said respectfully.

"Just Hope is fine." He muttered and returned the greeting, fidgeting a little as he did so.

Lightning noticed and placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She then turned to the soldiers and frowned. "Please treat Lord Raine's wyvern with care… I can hear him struggling from here."

"Y-Yes, Princess!" They called in unison and retreated hastily.

"You haven't changed one bit," Cid murmured and began walking next to her as she pointed him in the right direction. "You're still the same." He smiled softly at her.

"Oh I have changed," She assured him and leaded the way. "For the better, I hope."

Hope's eyes traveled from Cid to Lightning from time to time, the way they appeared to be comfortable with each other seemed a little unnerving for some reason, but perhaps it was just him and his usual paranoia whenever another man was around her. He decided to remain quiet.

"What brings you here, Cid?" Lightning murmured as they sat down in one of the private halls.

"My mother."

Lightning remained silent for a bit and let out a small sigh. "You don't have to apologize in her stead."

"I didn't come to apologize," Cid said firmly. "She doesn't know I'm here… Or maybe she already does, but that's beside the point."

"Then what?" The princess inquired softly.

"I came here to warn you."

"Warn me?" Lightning snorted under her breath. "About how she was planning to kill my husband? Because you're a little late for that."

Hope flinched slightly at the memory and squeezed the spot on his chest where the wound was still healing.

"No," Cid shook his head. "That was only the beginning, Light," He frowned and laced his fingers in front of him. "You and I both know she only wants to use me to gain power over the kingdom," He sighed and closed his eyes. "It hurts me in a way you can't even begin to imagine…"

She looked at him and let out a long sigh. It was true. Lightning knew that none of this was Cid's fault; she _knew _that Ultimecia had gone mad after the loss of her husband some years back.

"This was only one of the ways she was planning on acquiring that power…" He frowned and leaned back. "But since it failed you know what's going to happen next."

"War." She said simply.

Cid nodded and let out a soft breath. "I want you to know that I will stand by your side this time… And I know Kuja will as well."

Lightning eyed him for a moment and nodded. "Thank you, Cid," She smiled slightly. "It means a lot to me… it really does."

Cid returned the smile.

Hope felt slightly restless, it almost felt like he was out of place in this conversation and almost regretted tagging along with Lightning. Perhaps he should have stayed in their room… he didn't even know what to say in a situation like this.

It was all so new to him. He still wasn't used to being _married,_ and the responsibilities that came with that. He had not only one kingdom to look after but _two._ It was too frightening knowing that thousands of lives were in his hands.

"Hope?" He heard Lightning calling his name.

He blinked out of his haze and directed a small apologetic smile at her. "Sorry, I was thinking."

She eyed his warily but decided to remain quiet. She'd get a chance to ask him about it more privately later.

"Also," Cid spoke sternly. "There's the issue about Noctis."

This effectively caught Lightning's attention.

"What issue about Noctis?" She frowned.

Cid looked shocked. "You mean you don't know?"

"Stop it Cid and tell me what's going on."

"He arrived last night at our manor," He swallowed thickly. "He's… He sided with my mother."

Hope felt Lightning tensing beside him and turned to look at her with concern in his eyes. _He_ didn't even know how to feel about this. Wasn't Noctis her best friend? Hadn't he sworn to protect her no matter what?

He frowned. Noctis _betrayed _her?

"No…" Lightning whispered, the color draining from her face. "This is my fault."

"It's not!" Hope almost yelled as he stood up abruptly. "This isn't your fault!"

"It is," Lightning closed her eyes and bowed her head low. "I… I wasn't—"

Hope was seething by now.

"Lightning," Cid murmured from across the room, his face anxious. "I don't think Noctis did it by his own will."

Hope turned to look at him from the corner of his eye, his anger dying down a bit. "What do you mean?"

"My mother is a sorceress, you know that," He sighed slightly and tried to relax in his seat without success. "She can see into someone's heart, use their feelings against them… Noctis was probably…" He struggled to find the right words. "He was probably vulnerable."

"Then it _is _my fault," Lightning grit her teeth and stood up, walking towards the door. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want, Cid… thank you."

"I know Noctis," Cid called after her, standing up but staying in the same place. "I know he'd never do something to hurt you by his own will, Lightning!" He said before she exited the room.

Hope followed her into the hallway and grabbed her arm, effectively turning her around to face him. "Stop this," He demanded. "This is not the Light I know."

"Noctis left because of me," She frowned and didn't dare to look at him in the eye. "Because I hurt him."

Hope let her arm fall. "And what were you supposed to do then?" He frowned. "You're _my _wife, you said you loved _me._" He tried to control his rising anger.

"I do!" Her eyes finally found his. "But I love him too, alright? He's like brother to me!"

Hope took a step back. Of course he knew. He knew all along how much the knight meant to her but it was just too hard to accept.

"Well it seems to me that you love him a bit more than a brother." He said and turned around to leave.

She didn't follow.

* * *

Yuna held her staff in her hand tightly. Her strength back in her body as her magic swirled from the golden amulets hanging from the rod to her.

She walked through the halls distractedly, thinking on how she'd tell her sister that Noctis was gone.

The young princess bumped into someone slightly smaller than her and stumbled slightly. "Hope?" She blinked and tried to regain her step. "What's wrong?"

The prince's eyes were rimmed red but no tears could be seen, like he was holding them in.

"Noctis." Was the only thing that came out of his mouth.

Realization dawned her face. "Does Lightning know?"

"Of course she knows," He spat out. "Why else would we have a quarrel?"

She frowned. "What happened this time?"

"Cid came to the palace."

"Lord Raines?" Yuna frowned slightly. "Oh no…"

"She didn't take it nicely," Hope muttered and refused to look at Yuna in the eye. "Of course we had to have a fight about it."

"You should talk to her, work things out."

"I'm not going to work things out with her," Hope frowned and shook his head. "I'm going to bring Noctis back myself." He said firmly, trying to walk past the princess.

"You can't!" Yuna's eyes widened as she reached to grab the prince's arm to tug him back. "You can't go there, it's like suicide!" She frowned. "You'd be giving Ultimecia exactly what she wants."

"I don't care," He wrenched his arm free. "Maybe if I died things would be better. The war wouldn't happen and Lightning could get a husband better fit for her."

Yuna stood in silence, her expression a mixture between shock and disbelief. Then, without warning, her hand connected with Hope's cheek, the slap echoing in the hall.

Hope stumbled slightly to the side and cradled his cheek with his hand, staring at Yuna until the tears finally shone in the corner of his eyes. He frowned and closed his eyes, refusing to let the sob he was holding to escape.

"Don't you dare say those things again," She warned him and gripped her staff so tight her knuckles started turning white. "Don't you ever again."

Hope turned to look at her, his eyes red and to the brim with tears. "I don't want to lose her," He managed to choke out. "I'm afraid that all this will spiral out of control."

"Hope…" Yuna sighed and stepped forward, warping her arms around the smaller teen. "We will get through this, I promise."

He nodded and buried his head in her shoulder. "I'm so scared."

"I know," Yuna smiled sadly. "Me too."

"I need to go," Hope murmured. "I need to bring Noctis back."

"Why?"

"Because Light loves him," He frowned. "I don't know exactly _how_ she loves him. I don't think she knows how it is that she feels about him exactly, but… I can't stand looking at her like that."

She smiled slightly and pulled away from their embrace, and the truth was, she understood, she knew _exactly _how Hope was feeling because she felt the same. "I'll go with you."

"No," Hope shook his head. "You can´t—"

"Oh I can, I won't let you do this alone," Yuna assured him. "And I know I won't be able to change your mind, so you'll need my help, trust me."

Hope smiled at her. "Thank you."

* * *

"I'm worried." Fang murmured under her breath as she leaned on the doorway of the armory.

"About?" Snow hummed as he inspected a sword.

"Lightning, war," She said with a roll of her eyes. "What else?"

"I don't think there's nothing to worry about," He shrugged and turned to look at her. "She'll be fine, we'll be fine."

"It's not just that, though," She frowned. "I'm worried about Hope, too."

"You worry too much," He chuckled. "They'll be fine."

"I just have this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach, I can't quite put my finger on what exactly it is that's bothering me," Fang shook her head. "I'll go check on the Wyverns."

"You do that," Snow watched her go with a small smile. "Everything will be fine, Fang!"

She chuckled and waved over her shoulder. She knew they could win this war, but there was something else in her mind. The way Noctis had looked that night, it was eating her up. Maybe she had said things she should have.

The guardian lowered her eyes and sighed, a small wail made her glance up again. She frowned slightly and hid behind a pillar.

"We can take my Wyvern," Came a soft voice.

Fang frowned, Hope?

"Are you sure? We could take mine." Another voice.

Her eyes widened. Princess Yuna?

"No, it's better if we take mine, that way if they notice he's missing maybe they'll just think I left to go back to Pulse."

"…Yeah, alright."

The sound of clothes shuffling and the clinking of metal could be heard. The Wyvern's wings flapping and Hope's small voice, commanding it to calm down.

Fang peered from behind the pillar and noticed the rest of the Wyverns sleeping soundly until her eyes landed on the youngest princess, already on top of the blue dragon.

"Hurry up, Hope, they'll hear us."

"I'm coming," The prince chuckled softly as he strapped a sword to his belt and a quiver full of arrows to his back before grabbing a bow and securing it to his shoulder. "You have your staff?"

"Right here." Yuna smiled down at him and waved her staff, the small golden amulets clinking softly.

"Ok," He took a deep breath and mounted his wyvern. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Yuna nodded and used her staff to hold on to Hope.

"Right…" The prince let out another shaky breath. "Now or never, right?" He said with a nervous laugh.

Fang frowned. They couldn't possibly be thinking of—

"A leap of faith," Yuna said softly and nodded. "We can do this. She won't know what hit her."

_She?_ The guardian felt her blood run cold. Of course they wouldn't—

Hope squeezed his eyes shut and finally gripped the reins. "Hold on." He said and pulled the leather straps, making the Wyvern extend its wings and leap into the air.

"No!" Fang gasped and ran forward, looking as they took off. "Snow!" She screamed and ran back to the armory.

* * *

Ultimecia sat in her throne, her eyes closed and a smirk on her lips.

Things were going according to plan.


	17. Update

My dear readers, I'm sure you probably hate me by now, well, those of you who actually still remember this story. I can't apologize enough and wouldn't blame you for forgetting about Lost In You.

Life had been busy for me, a lot of things happened and I just couldn't find the time or inspiration to actually write this story.

You see, my writing has improved over time, and when I finally decided to come back to it and finish it, I realized that I didn't like it anymore, I'd just forget about it... But no, this story actually means a lot to me, I couldn't really do that. So I decided that the only way that I could finish this story was doing a complete re-write. I wasn't happy with my characters and a lot of things didn't fit the way they should.

I've been working on and off on this re-write over the past couple of months, and if you guys decide that you want to read it, I'll post it chapter by chapter on regular updates, deleting the old one.

I'm sure a lot of you have already forgotten about this, but if there are some of you still out there, then I'll gladly do it for you.


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